Local, National, and Global HIV/AIDS Research & Resources | Summer 2018
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HIV/AIDS Policy: Healthcare funding, best practices, and patient advocacy
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The
California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Centers (CHPRC)
support research and policy analysis on critical issues related to HIV/AIDS care and prevention. In this e-newsletter, we feature
CHPRC reports
and other publications covering pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) assistance, Medi-Cal savings, immigration, sexual and gender minority patients of color, incarcerated transgender women, and more.
Shout out to our
Visiting Professors for summer 2018
! We are welcoming five (5) first-year professors and welcoming back four (4) returning professors who are here for an
intensive training and mentoring program to support the development of health disparities research.
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In This Issue
- Local projects
- National projects
- National HIV Testing Day: Research and Resources Booklets and Staff Video
- Announcements
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To improve accessibility of PrEP services, the California Department of Public Health has been authorized to develop a PrEP financial assistance program that will be modeled after the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).
Shannon Fuller, Emma Wilde Botta, and Kim Koester
conducted a study of the current ADAP enrollment system to identify best practices that could be incorporated into the new PrEP financial assistance program. We also assessed the feasibility and acceptability of having ADAP enrollment staff and PrEP navigators serve as enrollment workers for such a program. Our report highlighted findings and provides recommendations for the staffing and structural aspects of the new program.
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The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows safety net health care entities to access discounts on medications they provide, and to use the savings to invest in expanded programs and services.
Valerie Kirby, Emma Wilde Botta, and Wayne Steward
conducted a rapid assessment to characterize the current use of the 340B Program by health care entities that serve people living with and vulnerable to HIV in California. It assesses possible changes to current HIV-related care that may occur if a recent proposal by Governor Brown to eliminate discounts on Medi-Cal transactions is enacted. Our findings strongly support maintaining access to robust 340B savings as a vital source of support for comprehensive HIV-related services.
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We are currently fielding a rapid response policy study looking at the impact of immigration reform on maintaining access to HIV care and prevention for immigrant communities in California. In late 2017, we learned that clinics that serve immigrant communities were seeing a rise in no-shows, and providers were hearing a lot of fear around anti-immigrant stigma and ICE raids coming from their patients. We are documenting best practices for maintaining patients in care, through interviews with providers and immigrant community members in San Francisco, Alameda, and Fresno counties, with an aim to disseminate our findings to stakeholders across the state in late Fall 2018.
Shannon Fuller, Emily Arnold, Emma Bohannon, and Wayne Steward
authored a
preliminary policy brief
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Shana Hughes and colleagues
conducted a qualitative study that explored the experience and perspectives of front-line staff at blood collection organizations (BCOs), particularly their role in keeping the blood supply safe and training needs. In the wake of eligibility changes for male donors reporting sex with another man, semi-structured, individual interviews with BCO staff in Northern California found that staff valued professionalism, respected men who have sex with men (MSM) donors, and supported the change to a 1-year deferral for MSM donors. Most staff expressed the need for more in-depth training to successfully implement the new policy, including the use of role-play, talking points, or frequently asked questions.
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Healthcare policies of the current administration, along with a hostile social climate, may seriously harm sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients, particularly SGM patients of color who often have worse health outcomes than the general population. To address this challenge and ensure quality care for SGM patients,
Judy Tan and colleagues
discuss key policy issues affecting the health of SGM patients of color. Questions are posed to clinicians to engage them in self-examination, skills development, political action and advocacy. Additionally, researchers offer concrete, actionable steps to advocate for SGM patients of color in patient care, healthcare organizations, medical education, research, and public policy.
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Sophia Zamudio-Haas, Kim Koester, Andres Maiorana, Shannon Fuller, Wayne Steward, Janet Myers, and colleagues
conducted 58 key informant interviews to describe development and implementation of data sharing interventions involving surveillance and/or patient data collected in clinics to improve linkage and retention in care and care outcomes among low-income populations living with HIV. Three state departments of health (SDoH) successfully launched interventions, identifying three common themes across states’ experiences: creating standard practices, fostering interoperability, and negotiating the policy environment. Projects were successful when state teams adapted to changing circumstances and were committed to a consistent communication process. Lessons learned from these three state experiences can help inform best practices for other SDoH that are considering launching similar interventions.
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Jae Sevelius and colleague
authored this policy brief to address three interrelated areas of concerns – victimization, housing placement, and healthcare provision
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related to the health and welfare of transgender women in jails, prisons, and other detention facilities. They make recommendations for policy and practice that incorporate gender-affirming healthcare for transgender women behind bars. Concrete steps are offered to government officials which they can take to better meet their professional and constitutional obligations, provide higher quality care for transgender women involved in the criminal justice system, and effect positive changes in transgender women’s health and welfare both inside and outside o
f prison
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National HIV/AIDS Awareness Days -
Research and Resources
These brochures list CAPS/PRC research and helpful resources for:
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The
Transgender HIV Testing Toolkit
reflects the most current HIV prevention research and best practices for serving trans and gender non-binary people. Guidelines to increase access and trans cultural competence among HIV testing programs and services are included.
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ommunity-based organizations and prevention programs are encouraged to host trans HIV testing community events, develop expanded trans HIV testing visibility campaigns, provide HIV testing services, and/or engage trans community members in promoting status awareness among all trans people.
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- New DPS Website - The new DPS site is now live and built on a modern platform called Drupal, an upgrade from WordPress. Please pardon our progress during this transition!
- Congratulations to Edwin Charlebois for being granted the 2018 Award for Outstanding Teaching and Mentorship by the UCSF AIDS Research Institute (ARI)!
- Congratulations to Jae Sevelius for being the recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Achievement Award by the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity from the American Psychological Association (APA)!
- Welcome to our new staff and TAPS fellows! Isabella Ventura (CBA Provider for Center of Excellence for Transgender Health); Michael Barajas and Isha Shrestha (PrEP Coordinators for Parya Saberi); and Sarah Puryear , Edda Santiago Rodriguez , and Glenda Baguso (TAPS Fellows)
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The mission of
Center for AIDS Prevention Studies
is to end the HIV epidemic and associated health and social disparities by conducting high impact HIV prevention science and building capacity among researchers and communities to effectively address HIV.
Project #: 2P30MH062246
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The mission of the
UCSF Prevention Research Center
is to maintain an interdependent network of community, academic, and public health partners to design and implement prevention research aimed at answering significant and innovative HIV research questions and promoting the wide use of practices proven to promote health for those infected and affected by HIV.
Project #: 5U48DP004998
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