ASHwell Level Up of HIV Prevention Services Project to enhance prevention and care for populations disproportionately impacted by the HIV/STI syndemic in Travis County, TX. - The ASHwell Level Up of HIV Prevention and Care (“ASHwell Level Up”) Project will enhance prevention and care for populations disproportionately impacted by the HIV/STI syndemic in Travis County, Texas. This project will primarily serve low-income people of color, especially men who have sex with other men (MSM) and people who identify as LGBTQ+. Program activities will include identifying and addressing clinic infrastructure gaps, including adopting a whole-person approach to HIV prevention and care, and fostering strategic partnerships with community providers, CBOs, health departments, and other entities in support of the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Initiative. This application includes Strategies A and B. Travis County, Texas is one of 50 jurisdictions nationwide where more than half of HIV diagnoses occur (CDC, 2017). Certain communities are disproportionately impacted, including racial/ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ+ communities. The alarming rates of HIV and other STIs indicates that the existing infrastructure of sexual health clinics is insufficient to address the HIV/STI syndemic in Travis County. Increasing sexual health clinic efficiency is critical to prevent/reduce the transmission of HIV/STIs. The ASHwell Level Up Program will achieve the following outcomes: Short-Term Outcomes: • Enhanced adoption of optimal sexual health services and clinic models for the provision of quality STI-related clinical care. • Increased understanding of and responsiveness to patients’ experiences, satisfaction, and needs. • Increased identification of new HIV and STI infections and of persons with HIV who are out of care or not virally suppressed. • Increased persons eligible for PrEP who were prescribed PrEP at the clinic. • Increased collaboration and engagement with local partners and community members to inform sexual health service delivery, especially among priority populations affected by the HIV/STI syndemic. Intermediate Outcomes: • Increased rapid linkage to HIV medical care for persons newly diagnosed with HIV in a sexual health clinic. • Increased receipt of recommended, timely STI prevention and treatment interventions for patients and their partners. • Increased receipt of rapid ART in sexual health clinics for persons with newly diagnosed HIV. • Sustained community partnerships to inform strategic EHE planning and activity implementation. • Increased clinic capacity to provide affirming, stigma and discrimination-free HIV prevention and linkage to care services.
