Ryan White Title IV Women, Infants, Children, Youth and Affected Family Members AIDS Healthcare - PROJECT TITLE: Women, Infant, Children and Youth HIV Services Consortium of Connecticut (WICY-HSCC) Applicant Organization Name: Connecticut Children’s Specialty Group (CCSG), 85 Seymour Street, Hartford CT, 06106-3322; Project Director: Ian C. Michelow, MD, MMed, FCPaed, DTM&H, FPIDS, Tel. # (860) 545-9490, Fax # (860) 729-9331; Email: imichelow@connecticutchildrens.org PROGRAM FUNDS REQUESTED IN APPLICATION: $324,797 (annually) NEEDS. Connecticut continues to experience significant HIV-related need among WICY populations and the communities in which they live. In 2024, Connecticut reported 10,774 people with HIV, but only 78.0% received care, 51.0% were retained in care, and 71.8% were virally suppressed. Among people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2024, one in four were diagnosed at Stage 3/AIDS, and viral suppression among newly diagnosed individuals reached only 77.9%, demonstrating persistent gaps in early diagnosis, rapid treatment, retention, and long-term viral suppression. These needs are concentrated among underrepresented communities, youth and young adults, females, people with heterosexual or perinatal exposure histories, and individuals affected by housing instability, food insecurity, behavioral health needs, substance use, transportation barriers, stigma, and fragmented systems of care. PROPOSED SERVICES. WICY-HSCC will continue as Connecticut’s trusted specialty-care home for women, infants, children, and youth affected by HIV. Led by CCSG with Yale Child Study Center and UConn Health, the consortium will deliver family-centered HIV specialty care, medical case management, perinatal and pediatric HIV services, adolescent and young adult care, reproductive health coordination, medication and adherence support, behavioral health referrals, and connections to oral health, housing, food, transportation, insurance, legal, and other essential supports. At the heart of the model are Medical Case Managers, who walk alongside clients and families from diagnosis through long-term wellness. They listen, assess needs, build individualized care plans, coordinate appointments and referrals, remove barriers, support ART adherence, follow up after missed visits, and help clients stay connected when life becomes unstable. Services will prioritize pregnant and postpartum women, HIV-exposed infants, children living with or exposed to HIV, and youth ages 13–24. Pregnant and postpartum women will receive rapid linkage to HIV and prenatal care, antiretroviral therapy (ART) support, sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention and treatment coordination, infant exposure management, postpartum support, family planning, and breastmilk feeding consultation when clinically appropriate. Infants will receive timely testing, prophylaxis support, pediatric specialty care, immunizations, developmental monitoring, and family support. Children, adolescents, and young adults will receive developmentally appropriate HIV care, adherence counseling, behavioral health referrals, sexual and reproductive health education, disclosure support, peer and family supports, and transition planning to adult care. Through WICY-HSCC, limited Part D resources will become a statewide safety net: reducing fragmentation, closing WICY-specific gaps, strengthening retention and viral suppression, and ensuring that each client and family is respected, supported, and never left to navigate HIV care alone. POPULATION GROUPS. In project year 1, (a) 82 WICY clients with HIV and 180 total affected clients with access to care services (b) 575 WICY clients will receive HIV counseling and testing and linkage to care services, and (c) 22 WICY clients will receive comprehensive systems of care medical services including breastmilk feeding / lactation services (10) and specialty services (10) or other specialty referrals.
