Saturday, May 18, 2024
5/18/2024
Family Guidance Centers, Inc. is a not-for-profit community-based organization that is licensed by the State of Illinois to provide residential and outpatient medication assisted treatment (MAT) and other substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services. The population of focus of our MAI-High Risk Populations grant is African American adult residents of City of Chicago west and south side community areas who are at risk of, or living with HIV/AIDS, and are diagnosed with opioid use disorders (OUD). Over the five years of SAMHSA/CSAT funding, an unduplicated count of at least 1,400 minority adults who are admitted to FGC MAT services will receive expanded HIV and viral hepatitis (VH) testing, referral, prevention, and treatment services. Chicago is in Cook County, Illinois which is among the localities listed in this NOFO that have been hardest hit by the HIV epidemic. Priority will be placed on inclusion of persons in our target population who report injection drug use. The catchment area of our MAI grant will be 27 of Chicago’s 77 community areas that comprise the major portions of the west and south sides of the city. In 2020 these communities had a total population of 666,900 with a race/ethnic breakdown of 84.1% (533,503) African American, 7.0% Latinx, 3.7% White Non-Hispanic (NH) 2.7% other/mixed race (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). High-risk Latinx adult residents with OUD will also be eligible for participation in this grant. According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, while 51.2% of Chicago residents identify as female, 57.6% of residents in our catchment area identify as female. The communities in our catchment area collectively had a 2020 population rate of new diagnosed HIV infections that was over 75% higher than the Chicago citywide rate, and a population rate of PLWHI that was nearly 30% higher than the Chicago citywide rate. NH Blacks accounted for 48% of the late HIV diagnoses in the city in 2020, and 55% of the NH Black PLWHI during that year were virally suppressed, compared to 71% of the city’s White PLWHI. This data, coupled with the relatively higher rates of new HIV infections and PLWHI among residents of the communities in our catchment area are seen to provide evidence of the HIV/AIDS racial minority-based early diagnosis and care service gaps that this grant is designed to address. All three forms of FDA-approved medications for the treatment of OUD will be available to participants, and both outpatient and intensive outpatient will be available based upon clinical diagnostic findings. The routine assessment process will include screening for cooccurring mental health issues, histories of trauma, and tobacco use. FGC staff will offer HIV and viral hepatitis (VH) testing to each admitted participant, as well as their drug using and/or sexual partners. Persons who test positive for HIV and/or VH will be referred for treatment to University of Illinois (UI) Health clinics located in our catchment area. Persons who test negative for HIV will be referred to UI Health clinics for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) services. The MAT services provided to participants will be enhanced through use of the Motivational Interviewing and Seeking Safety evidence-based practices. A summary is provided of FGC’s organizational and key staff qualifications and experience. A plan is provided which commits to compliance with SAMHSA/CSAT GPRA data collection and performance measurement expectations, as well as the collection of data to assess achievement of this grant’s expanded HIV/VH testing, referral, prevention, and treatment objectives. FGC is requesting $500,000 in MAI-High Risk Populations funding in each of five years. The proposed services will be coordinated with related Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery initiatives.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
