COPE Community Services, Inc. (COPE) proposes to implement Project TELA (Treatment Engagement Linking At-risk Women) to address the critical need for engagement-focused substance use/co-occurring mental disorder (SUD/COD) treatment in Pima County, AZ. TELA Project will serve 285 minority women over five years and will increase engagement in care for minority women at increased risk for HIV/AIDS who need SUD/COD treatment and reduce disparities by improving behavioral health outcomes.
The TELA Project’s goals are as follows: 1) expand program engagement services for minority women in Pima County; 2) increase engagement in care for minority women with SUD/COD at risk for HIV or who are HIV positive in Pima County; and 3) reduce health disparities by improving behavioral health outcomes among TELA Project’s clients.
COPE will serve adult racial/ethnic minority women with SUD/COD who are positive with or at risk for HIV. All clients will be screened for history of substance use, mental health disorders, and HIV/hepatitis status. Based on county demographics and previous programs, the client population is anticipated to be approximately 50% Hispanic/Latina, 10% African American, 20% Native American, and the remainder Multi-Racial. The most vulnerable of these women exhibit high rates of substance use, risky sexual behaviors, and a lack of access to care: a risk profile further shaped by a disproportionate burden of HIV. In 2017, the rate of emergent HIV cases for Hispanics was nearly twice the rate of emergent cases for Whites, and the rate of emergent cases for African Americans was five times that of Whites. In addition, risky substance use is on the rise in Pima County among the Hispanic population (18.6% reported binge drinking in 2017). Compounding this need, minority populations show the lowest rates of engagement in care for both HIV and SUD/COD treatment.
In combination with best practices for outreach, engagement, and retention, COPE will implement evidence-based treatment programs designed to achieve the targeted outcomes. TELA Project’s services will center on engaging and retaining clients in care – meeting a critical need. All enrolled clients will receive engagement services: case management, HIV/hepatitis testing, linkage to medical care as necessary. By co-creating individualized service plans with case managers, clients will develop ownership over their care and treatment. COPE will implement three evidence-based practices: Helping Women Recover, Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
TELA Project’s goals and objectives are structured to achieve its purpose: To increase engagement in care, reduce substance abuse, HIV and hepatitis risk, and reduce health-related disparities among minority women TELA Project will use measurable objectives to evaluate attainment of these goals. TELA Project will serve 60 women per year (45 in Year One), for a total of 285 women over the five-year life of the grant.