Friday, April 26, 2024
4/26/2024
The Adolescent Initiative proposes to address the Ending the HIV Epidemic pillars in youth communities through the creation and deployment of an Adolescent Mobile Health Team (MHT). The work of prioritized HIV testing programming, a comprehensive high-impact prevention program focused on a status neutral approach, treatment and engagement in HIV care for youth living with HIV and referrals and enrollment in PrEP care directed to young men who have sex with men(YMSM) youth of color in Philadelphia via a mobile testing unit. The Adolescent Initiative (AI) Mobile Health Team will bring our years of clinical expertise in HIV care, prevention and education directly into the community to work with adolescent who experience the highest rates of HIV and STI infection, Covid-19 infections, poverty, homelessness and discrimination for their sexual orientation, gender identity, race or religion. The program will be guided by the pillars and strategies set forth in the Ending the HIV Epidemic local and national strategy to diagnose, treat, prevent and respond to the HIV epidemic amongst youth, specifically young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and transgender youth. Through mobile and clinic-based prioritized HIV testing strategies with the target population the AI Mobile Health Team will identify YMSM living with HIV and reach a highly vulnerable populations, and sub-populations. Our team will serve as Health Navigators for each youth we encounter, offering education, insurance navigation, mental health resources, HIV & PrEP medical services, integrated screenings for HIV, STIs and Covid-19 as well as, follow-up testing and adherence support. Much of the current programming designed for testing and prevention does not allow an adolescent to work closely with a provider such as a navigator to get help with the aspects of sexual health and general health care that can be overwhelming and present barriers to care that seem insurmountable to an adolescent. Our goal is to create a safe space for adolescents, all adolescents, to receive sexual health messages, education, prevention and care in the communities in which they live or join with other community members and to reduce the barrier to health care services. AI has a long history of collaborating with organizations In Philadelphia, both with City agencies/departments and community-based organizations, to provide the best services, programming and referrals to the youth that we work with. The collaborative relationships are built on experience, expertise and trust built over time. The AI Mobile Health Team will leverage this history and experience over the 5 year project timeline to build sustainable collaborations with new and existing partners across Philadelphia to meet the goals of the local EHE strategies for adolescents in Philadelphia. There is a critical need to comprehensively address the needs of youth in developing HIV preventions services. Without efforts to address the complex needs of youth, many will likely not receive the care and services they need due to stigma, discrimination, poverty, depression and other mental health problems the lack of support and outreach available to keep them engaged and help them navigate complex systems of care. It is imperative to create innovative prevention programs that are specifically targeted for youth to address the developmental, psychological, and societal barriers to making safer decisions, accessing HIV testing, and engaging and remaining in HIV medical care.
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).
