Ryan White Title III HIV Capacity Development and Planning Grants - Project Title: FY 2025 RWHAP Part C Capacity Development Program (HIV Care Innovation) Applicant: The Research Foundation for SUNY, on behalf of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Special Treatment & Research (STAR) Program Address: 450 Clarkson Avenue, MSC 1240, Brooklyn, NY 11203-2012 Project Director: Jack A. DeHovitz, MD, MPH, MHCDS, FACP Contacts: T: (718-270-1069; F: (718) 270-3386 Email: Jack.DeHovitz@downstate.edu; Website: www. starprogram.nyc Funds Requested: $150,000; Funding Preference Requested: Yes. Summary: The Special Treatment and Research (STAR) Program of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University requests HIV Care Innovation category funding to provide didactic training and education to promote inclusive care for underrepresented communities with disproportionately high rates of HIV (the “STAR HIV Training Program”). The project will focus on healthcare and services providers in Central Brooklyn who serve populations that are low-income, underserved, and have disproportionate rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections and experience major disparities related to health care access and utilization compared to the general population. Needs: Central Brooklyn remains one of the most vulnerable areas in NYC, facing limited access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity, high rates of violence and crime, significant economic disparities driven by unemployment and poverty, and inadequate access to quality health care and mental health services. As of 2023, Brooklyn has the highest number of new HIV diagnoses in NYC and ranks second in AIDS diagnoses and deaths. The Central Brooklyn service area for the STAR Program includes some of the highest HIV seroprevalence rates in both Brooklyn and NYC. However, access to care remains limited, as much of Central Brooklyn is designated by HHS as Health Professional Shortage Areas for both primary care and mental health. Further, looming cuts to Medicaid and grant funding threaten to further reduce the already insufficient supply of quality HIV care. Proposed Services: The STAR HIV Training Program will expand on the current HIV clinical education services provided by the STAR Program. The project will develop and provide didactic training and education for both clinical and front-line service staff on topics such as improving patient-provider communication, care for patients with mental health and substance use needs, addressing social determinants of health to improve care retention, and the medical and pharmacological management of HIV treatment. Emphasis will be placed on training for support and behavioral health staff (frontline staff, social workers, substance use counselors, case managers, medical assistants, community health workers, peer navigators), who are critical in providing supportive care to PWHIV and ensuring their retention in care. Presenters will be drawn from Downstate STAR Program faculty as well as consultant experts. Through existing networks and partnerships, including the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s “New York Knows” initiative, we will be able to market the program to a learning network of over 1,500 PWHIV serving organizations. Impact: This project will deliver 36 educational sessions to at least 1,000 clinical and front-line service staff in Central Brooklyn over the course of one year. Aimed at enhancing the quality of HIV treatment and services, this initiative will focus on key steps in the HIV care continuum: 1) Access to HIV medical care, 2) Retention in care, and 3) Achievement and maintenance of viral suppression.
