Ryan White Title III HIV Capacity Development and Planning Grants - Project Title: FY 2025 RWHAP Part C Capacity Development Program Activity: HIV Care Innovation - Streamlining eligibility for RWHAP services Applicant Organization Name: Howard Brown Health Address: 4025 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago IL 60613 Project Director: Ahmed Chaudhry; ahmedc@howardbrown.org Grant funds requested: $150,000 Howard Brown Health (HBH) is a Chicago-based federally qualified health center (FQHC) that serves over 40,000 individuals per year. HBH is a magnet of care and draws patients from over 100 zip codes throughout Chicago. As a FQHC, HBH is committed to serving people who are un- or underinsured. HBH is a nationally recognized leader in the provision of community-based medical care for people with HIV/AIDS (PWH) and has been a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) grantee since 1996, when the agency first received Ryan White (RW) Part C funding.? HBH’s service area continues to have a disproportionately high rate of HIV infection. In 2022, there were 18,887 individuals with HIV in Chicago, yielding a rate of 687 per 100,000 people. Of the total of 627 new HIV diagnoses were reported to CDPH, 81% were linked to HIV medical care within one month of HIV diagnosis, and 92% within 12 months (2021 was 84% and 94% respectively). The new diagnoses represent 22.8 per 100,000 population for a 0.5% increase compared to 2021. The proportion of new HIV diagnoses by age is highest among individuals aged 20-29 years and by race/ethnicity, among non-Hispanic Black persons. Lakeview and Uptown, near HBH clinic sites, were two communities with the highest number of new HIV infections. Only 53% of PWH in Chicago achieved viral suppression in 2022, compared to 60% in 2021. HBH’s provision of care across the HIV Care Continuum, paired with the agency’s emphasis on providing high-quality, culturally competent, interdisciplinary and patient-centered primary care, contributes to our success in testing and linking patients to care, ultimately maintaining an agency-wide viral load suppression rate of 85% in calendar year 2024, an increase from the previous years. HBH’s current Part C grant funds support HIV primary care for PWH in medical evaluation and clinical care, medical case management, outpatient mental health and substance abuse services, psychiatry, specialty care, and additional support services that help HBH patients link and remain retained in care. Overall, HBH provides medical care to over 5,800 people with HIV/AIDS each year, which represents approximately 15 percent of HBH’s patient population. Ryan White funding and program income provides a safety net for vulnerable patients who are low-income and/or uninsured, allowing these individuals to maintain treatment adherence and receive consistent HIV care. HBH seeks additional Capacity Development funding to support the agency in operationalizing new systems to increase compliance with RWHAP guidelines regarding eligibility and imposition of charges. Improving processes surrounding RWHAP eligibility has been an ongoing effort at HBH as the agency resolves findings from a RWHAP site visit in 2023. The proposed project will expand access to high quality HIV primary care services for low income and underserved PWH by modernizing the registration process for RWHAP eligible patients, automating eligibility and re-certification, and reducing healthcare costs for patients through an improved imposition of charges system. This will be achieved through the soon expected hiring of a RW Program Manager, who will assist with creating a database to automate eligibility and imposition of charges processes at the agency. Through consultation with other Part C grantees, HBH will develop updated processes to streamline eligibility and imposition of charges, improving quality of services and reducing financial burden for RW patients. Updated workflows will be implemented along with patient education to assist both staff and patients in this project.
