Team Management 2000, Inc., a community behavioral health center, will implement the Peer Recovery Imitative to implement peer recovery support for individuals living with HIV who have substance use disorder and/or mental illness, with a focus on the growing population of older adults, individuals 45 years old and older. The primary goal of this project is to improve outcomes for older HIV+ individuals with substance use and/or co-occurring disorders, including abstinence, employment, health, viral suppression, reduction in criminal justice involvement, and social connections, through the provision of new peer support services. We anticipate serving 200 individuals over the course of the three-year grant. For this project, we anticipate 85% will be minority. We anticipate 55% of clients will be homeless or unstably housed. 80% will be low income. We anticipate at least 60% of the clients being age 45 or older. We expect 75% to be dually diagnosed, with primary diagnoses being alcohol, cocaine, and opiate use disorder, along with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. There are significant gaps in services for substance use disorder (SUD), mental illness and HIV in New Jersey. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated those gaps, as people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and SUD have increased illicit substance use and contact with other substance-using individuals and decreased their confidence to stay sober and attend recovery meetings. HIV medication and follow up compliance has also decreased during the pandemic. Older adults living with HIV/AIDS (whose number are increasing) have been particularly vulnerable during the pandemic. A major barrier to these individuals receiving services has been identified as stigma. Peer support has been demonstrated to reduce stigma, as well as to reduce hospitalizations and overall costs. Peer support further improves outcomes by improving social functioning, qualify of life, treatment compliance, and community engagement. By sharing their own lived experience and practical guidance, peer workers help people to develop their own goals, create strategies for self-empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building self-determined lives. Implementing active peer support will improve outcomes for these at-risk individuals. Comprehensive evidence-based outpatient treatment and case management will ensure clients
have needed resources for sustained recovery. This project will recruit and engage diverse people in care, screen individuals for SUD and/or
COD. TM2K will implement strategies that are inclusive and used to recruit and ensure those with the greatest need are being served. TM2K will provide evidence-based and population appropriate harm reduction, treatment, and recovery approaches to meet the unique needs of diverse populations. These will include medications for SUD, outpatient day treatment (including outreach-based services), intensive outpatient treatment, and recovery support
services. Recovery support services will include vocational, educational, and transportation services designed to improve access and retention. TM2K will collaborate with several community partners noted below that are trained and can serve diverse populations to provide comprehensive services.
