Friday, January 27, 2023
1/27/2023
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part D - Project Abstract Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, Inc. 1484 Highland Avenue, Suite 2, Cheshire, CT 06410-1268 Project Director: Christina Del Vecchio Tel: 860-667-7820 Fax: 203-250-0040 Email: cdelvecchio@chcact.org Organization Website: www.chcact.org The Community Health Center Association of Connecticut (CHCACT) seeks continuation funding for the Ryan White Part D, Coordinated HIV Services and Access to Research for Women, Infants, Children, and Youth (WICY) Program for the Existing Geographic Service Areas. Using a coordinated continuum of care model, services will eliminate barriers, reduce disparities in access to care, engage and maintain persons with HIV/AIDS in HIV primary medical care and improve health outcomes. The program will ensure access to a full range of core medical and support services, including antiretroviral medications that improve retention in care and viral load suppression. Services are provided through the integrated Children, Youth and Family AIDS Network (CYFAN), a state-wide group of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) with deep roots and strong referral relationships in their respective communities. From 2018-2020, CYFAN provided HIV care services to 1,064 HIV+ Women, Infants, Children and Youth (WICY). CYFAN consists of seven FQHCs, serving six cities: Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Torrington, Waterbury, and Willimantic which is the whole service area listed in Appendix B. Approximately 44.6% of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Connecticut reside in these cities. The four largest cities within the CYFAN services area, Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury, and Hartford have disproportionately high minority populations, with 32% Black and 39% Hispanic (compared to 11.4% and 16.9% statewide, respectively). Poverty and other social determinants of health have resulted in barriers and disparities in access to health care; approximately 48.6% of resid ents in these cities are living below 200% of federal poverty level. The target population to be served are women (age 25+), infants, children, and youth (WICY) who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Although African American/Blacks and Hispanics comprise 28.3% of Connecticut’s population, they make up 67.7% of all HIV cases. The key HIV Continuum of Care services provided by CYFAN include: HIV treatment services; targeted outreach to high-risk populations; referral, linkage, and engagement in care; nutritional counseling; medical case management (including treatment adherence); insurance plan enrollment; oral health care; and substance abuse and mental health services. Evidence-based interventions will be used to engage and improve retention in care among young black/African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) aged 13-23 years and other WICY populations. Quality improvement measures are used to assess level of care and viral load suppression, HIV medical visit frequency, and prescription of HIV antiretroviral therapy.
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).
