Friday, November 22, 2024
11/22/2024
The TSU SHAPE Initiative: Bruthas Project is a Texas Southern University campus and greater community-based service provider partnership. The partnership is designed to expand and enhance access to treatment of substance use disorders (SUD), HIV, Hepatitis-C and STI prevention services primarily among at-risk ethnic/sexual minority males in Houston/Harris County. The overall HIV burden (incidence rate of 21.6-25.6; prevalence rate of 464.6-566.8) within Houston/Harris County, Texas is greater than that reported at the state (incidence rate of 15.7; prevalence rate of 327.9) and national level(incidence rate of 11.4; prevalence rate of 308.7). In Houston/Harris County, African Americans (45%) and Hispanics (38%) accounted for most new HIV 2018 diagnoses (over 1,200, 9% increase from 2017) and male-to-male contact (68%) represented the greatest category of transmission. The TSU SHAPE Initiative: Bruthas Project is an innovative program housed within a university academic university environment that can accommodate the fluidity of such a diverse target population. As such, the project will implement services within a locality that is hardest hit by the HIV epidemic. Its priority population is African American and Hispanic YMSM/MSM 16 years and older throughout Greater Houston who are at-risk for HIV, viral Hepatitis, substance misuse, and/or poor mental health outcomes. The Bruthas Project an ideal complementary program that can effectively address the unique needs of ethnic minority YMSM/MSM throughout the Greater Houston community. Goals of the Bruthas Project are to 1) Increase access to HIV and hepatitis clinical care services for sexual and ethnic minority males; 2) Implement prevention strategies that reduce substance use, poor mental health outcomes, sexual risk, and environmental barriers among sexual and ethnic minority males; 3) Develop, utilize, and disseminate environmental strategies to engage sexual and ethnic minority males. The Bruthas project further commits to delivering culturally grounded prevention strategies to include Status Neutral Framework and Service Approach, Reduced Counseling, Testing, and Referral rapid-test approach, Community PROMISE for High Impact Prevention (HIP), Group-Education Session model, (TRANSFORM) Transforming from HIV Prevention Practice to Prevention Innovation: Comprehensive HIV Care Delivery for MSM of Color and the Bruthas Project evidence-based intervention. The evidence-base interventions and/or promising practices highlighted above will contribute to addressing disparities in service access, use, and outcomes. The Bruthas project will provide direct clinical testing services to an annual minimum of 50-125 Houston/Harris County residents for a total of 435 unduplicated participants identifying as YMSM/MSM and/or engaged in similarly consistent behaviors receiving HIV, Hepatitis-C and/STI screening over a five year period. Of these, approximately10: )43-45 participants) will enroll in an intensive evidence-based intervention program designed to reduce individual sexual risk factors and better address unique social determinants impacting overall wellbeing.
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).
