Monday, April 29, 2024
4/29/2024
The purpose of the Tarrant County HIV Prevention Unit (TC-HIV PrevU) is to provide services to those at the highest risk for HIV, AIDS, STIs, HEP, and substance use disorders using the navigation approach. TC-HIV PrevU will taker populations at the greatest risk due to their disparate access to testing and treatment. These populations include African Americans, Latinx or Hispanics, men who have sex with men, and LGTBQ-plus youth at imminent risk for homelessness. For this program, TC-HIV PrevU will partner with the North Central Texas HIV Planning Council, Tarrant County Public Health, AIDS Outreach Center, and the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition to provide community outreach, testing and services on HIV, HEP and substance use treatment to 450 individuals (age 18-29) over the grant period. Fourth among the state's 254 countries for the highest cases of new diagnoses, Tarrant County's overall HIV incidence rate was 14.06 per 100,000 between 2009-2018. In 2018, there were 4,520 new HIV diagnoses, and 1,907 new AIDS diagnoses in Texas. Of the 4,520 new HIV diagnoses: 35% were African American, 4% were Latinx or Hispanic; and 821% were male. In 2018, there were 276 new HIV diagnoses and 116 new AIDS diagnoses reported in Tarrant County. Today, there are 5,856 people living with HIV in Tarrant County. The majority of persons newly diagnosed with HIV are between the ages of 15-34; however, those 19-29 have the highest rates of new diagnoses. TC-HIC PrevU program will address the challenges of low income, the lack of health insurance, scarce primary care and late testing, access to substance abuse treatment remains the most significant service gap for people at risk. This project will address those challenges by providing outreach and other engagement strategies to increase participation in, and access to, HIV testing and prevention services; and direct treatments and services utilizing Evidence-based practices for a diverse and at-risk population. Finally, TC-HIV PrevU will collaborate with local partners to implement comprehensive community-based substance misuse and HIV prevention strategies; develop and implement public messaging and awareness campaigns; provide opportunities for screening and testing for individuals in the community provide navigation and follow-up services to link individuals to care for HIV and substance misuse where indication; and provide education training for substance use disorder treatment and other healthcare providers on the importance of screening for HIV and assuring the clinical care needs are met if an individual is determined to be infected with HIV.
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).
