Enhanced Access to HIV Care for Drug Users in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Through the Enhanced HIV Care Access and Retention Intervention, the five neighborhoods will receive the 4 components of the intervention: 1) HIV Testing Campaign; 2) Treatment Re-engagement Campaign; 3) Patient Navigator Linkage to Care and Substance Abuse Treatment Team; and 4) Mobile Care Clinic. In addition to these intervention components, study participants will receive screening and access to treatment for other physical and mental co-morbidities, general primary health care, and social/psychosocial services addressing unstable housing, food insecurity, interpersonal violence, legal issues. All HIV-positive IDUs identified either through the HIV Testing Campaign or the Treatment Re-engagement Campaign will be enrolled in the HIV Care Cohort. The HIV Care Cohort will be comprised of the HIV-positive injectors who are receiving direct services in the Mobile Care Clinic. The 4 intervention components are detailed below:

When the intervention is initiated in a neighborhood, HIV rapid testing will begin and continue in a particular neighborhood from the time that the neighborhood's intervention begins until the end of the study period. Anyone testing HIV positive will be seen and counseled by a member of the Patient Navigator Team.

Simultaneously with the introduction of the HIV Testing Campaign, a patient navigator team will approach HIV-positive IDUs identified as not having seen their HIV care provider in the last 6 months. In addition, known HIV-positive IDUs within the designated neighborhoods will be approached for service enrollment and meet with a patient navigator.

The patient navigator team will provide informational support to the HIV-positive injectors, motivate them to attend HIV care visits and engage in substance abuse treatment, encourage their use of and adherence to antiretroviral therapies, and work with them to overcome any barriers to attendance at HIV care visits and substance abuse treatment. All clients of the patient navigator will become part of the HIV Care Cohort; they will have been identified either in the HIV Testing Campaign or the Treatment Re-Engagement Campaign.

Participants who choose to receive services in the study mobile HIV care clinic will receive an initial appointment and the patient navigator will ensure that the client attends it. At the initial visit, clients will have a medical history taken, be examined and have blood drawn to measure CD4 and viral load. The mobile care clinic doctor will also prescribe medications for the client at the subsequent visit which will be scheduled as soon as lab results are available and interpreted, approximately one week later. The mobile HIV care clinic van will provide health services to the general IDU population within each intervention neighborhood to avoid any stigmatization of the HIV positive clients.