Hyacinth AIDS Foundation is New Jersey’s first and largest AIDS service organization. Founded in 1985, Hyacinth’s six regional offices located in New Jersey’s densely populated urban centers provide critical support services to people living with HIV and AIDS. Hyacinth AIDS Foundation seeks funding to implement a targeted testing and high impact prevention project under the CDC Funding Opportunity Announcement (RFA-PS22-2203). The proposed target population is Young Men of Color Who Have Sex with Men (YMSM of color/Latinx/AA) ages 13-34 and their partners regardless of age, gender, and race/ethnicity who reside in the Jersey City Transitional Grant Area (TGA). Hyacinth is a current grantee under CDC’s PS17-1704 which provides targeted testing and prevention services to YMSM ages 13-29 in Jersey City. Funding through PS22-2203 would allow Hyacinth to continue and expand its current program for YMSM. Hyacinth’s current program Project LOL (Living Out Loud) has tested 1,264 individuals, identified 26 HIV positive YMSM, identified 9 newly-diagnosed YMSM, reached 1,301 YMSMs through its MPowerment program and distributed 101,425 condoms.
The purpose of this proposal is to continue to provide and enhance existing HIV and Integrated STI testing services to YMSM ages 13-34 residing in Hudson County, New Jersey. Hyacinth wants to enhance Project LOL’s programs utilizing a holistic status-neutral approach that addresses the national HIV epidemic by implementing CDC’s comprehensive high-impact HIV prevention approach that reduces new HIV infections in alignment with the HIV National Strategic Plan. Project LOL will increase access to HIV care and prevention services and promote health equity among YMSM of Color and their partners regardless of race. The core of programs will be anchored on Community PROMISE with principles of Mpowerment which is the current foundation of Project Living Out Loud.
Testing and Linkage to Care (TLC) Navigators will conduct 800 HIV tests to annually identify 8 undiagnosed HIV-positive persons, and 8 previously diagnosed that are out of care HIV-positive persons. HIV-positive persons will be linked to medical care, partner services, prevention and essential supportive services including housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment. High- risk negative persons will be referred and linked to STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection), viral hepatitis and TB screenings, as well as recommended essential services including, HIP interventions, housing, behavioral health care, PrEP and nPEP. TLC navigators are trained and have experience working with Project LOL and the target population in Essex County. To accomplish this, the initiative will leverage 4 programmatic strategies: 1) Easy access to HIV screening and testing through community-based venue testing; 2) Peer promotion and social marketing to address misinformation about HIV and to counter the social stigma that is a barrier to testing and prevention; 3) Incentivized testing; and 4) Referral and navigation services to essential supportive services.
Promotion, outreach, and recruitment efforts for the proposed initiative will ensure public awareness of program services through the following key strategically coordinated and culturally competent program components. Project LOL will implement a status-neutral approach highlighting HIV testing as a gateway to prevention services. We will use PROMISE for HIP to promote role model stories that are aligned with engagement of priority populations in the provision of HIV prevention and care services regardless of HIV status. A status-neutral approach increases efficiency and helps prevent the institutional stigma related to HIV and its intersection with other identities including gender, sexual orientation, and race/ethnicity.
