Ryan White Title IV Women, Infants, Children, Youth and Affected Family Members AIDS Healthcare - Project Abstract Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. (SEMRHI) is applying for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part D funding to continue to provide comprehensive, family-centered HIV medical care and support services to women, infants, children, youth (WICY), and affected family members residing in an expanded 31-county service area in southeast Mississippi. SEMRHI is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and has provided HIV care since 1995. SEMRHI currently receives RWHAP Part C and Part D funding and serves as one of only two RWHAP Part D recipients in Mississippi. The service area includes Adams, Amite, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Newton, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Walthall, Wayne, and Wilkinson counties. The region is characterized by significant health disparities, high HIV burden, poverty, transportation barriers, and limited access to specialty HIV services. SEMRHI is the only directly funded Ryan White provider within a large portion of the service area and serves as a critical source of HIV medical care and support services for underserved populations. The proposed project will provide a comprehensive, coordinated system of care that includes outpatient ambulatory HIV medical care, medical case management, treatment adherence services, oral health care, behavioral health services, HIV counseling and testing, emergency financial assistance, medical transportation, food bank and nutritional support services, psychosocial support, health education, and referrals to specialty care. Services will be provided directly by SEMRHI staff and through established partnerships, including Hattiesburg Clinic for infectious disease and maternal fetal medicine specialty services and the University of Mississippi Medical Center for pediatric HIV care and services for HIV-exposed infants and pregnant women with HIV. Project activities will focus on increasing access to care, rapid linkage to care for newly diagnosed individuals, re-engagement of persons lost to care, retention in HIV medical care, adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and achievement of sustained viral suppression. SEMRHI will utilize an integrated primary care, HIV care, and behavioral health model supported by Epic electronic health records, CAREWare reporting systems, clinical quality management activities, and multidisciplinary care teams to improve health outcomes across the HIV care continuum. During the project period, SEMRHI expects to improve access to HIV care for WICY populations, maintain high rates of linkage to care, increase retention in care, improve viral suppression outcomes, reduce barriers associated with transportation and social determinants of health, and enhance the overall quality of life for women, infants, children, youth, and affected family members living with or impacted by HIV throughout the service area.
