Ryan White Title IV Women, Infants, Children, Youth and Affected Family Members AIDS Healthcare - Brief Description: For nearly 150 years, Valleywise Health has served as Arizona’s only public teaching hospital and integrated healthcare system. Since 1988, VH has provided comprehensive HIV medical care and support services to people with HIV, and since 1998 has served as the sole Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part D recipient in Arizona. VH requests $740,584 annually for four years to provide comprehensive, family-centered HIV care and support services for women, infants, children, youth, and families living with HIV throughout Maricopa County, Arizona. Through a multidisciplinary, patient-centered model of care, the project will strengthen linkage to care, retention in care, treatment adherence, viral suppression, and health equity for populations disproportionately affected by HIV. The program integrates medical care, care coordination, behavioral health, medical case management, oral health, pharmacy services, and supportive services to ensure patients have access to coordinated, high-quality HIV care across the continuum. Needs Addressed: Maricopa County is home to the largest population of people living with HIV in Arizona, including more than 13,000 residents living with HIV. Women and youth living with HIV continue to face significant barriers to achieving optimal health outcomes, including poverty, transportation challenges, housing instability, language barriers, behavioral health needs, stigma, and limited access to culturally responsive services. These social drivers of health contribute to disparities in retention in care and viral suppression, particularly among Black women, youth ages 18–24, refugees, and low-income individuals. Additional challenges include the ongoing need for enhanced care coordination during pregnancy, youth transition from pediatric to adult care, and support for individuals experiencing behavioral health and substance use concerns. Population Served: The project will serve women, infants, children, youth, and families affected by HIV throughout Maricopa County, Arizona. Priority populations include youth ages 18–24, Black women, pregnant women, HIV-exposed infants, refugees and immigrants, individuals living below 125% of the federal poverty level, people experiencing transportation and language barriers, and other underserved populations disproportionately impacted by HIV. Services will be provided regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Proposed Services: Valleywise Health will provide comprehensive outpatient HIV medical care and family-centered support services through its HIV specialty clinics located in Phoenix, Mesa, and South Phoenix/Laveen. Services will include outpatient ambulatory HIV care, medical case management, care coordination, rapid linkage to care, retention and outreach services, adherence counseling, behavioral health services, reproductive and perinatal care coordination, oral health services, pharmacy support, health education, and referrals to community-based resources. Specialized support will be provided to pregnant women, HIV-exposed infants, and youth transitioning to adult HIV care. The program will utilize multidisciplinary care teams, evidence-informed interventions, and robust quality improvement strategies to address disparities in viral suppression and retention in care. Through strong partnerships with Ryan White Parts A, B, and C programs, public health agencies, and community organizations, VH will ensure a coordinated continuum of care that improves health outcomes, advances health equity, and supports the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
