TechMPower: Advancing HIV/SUD Care and Service Delivery for People in Re-entry

Community Coalition/Network of Providers TechMPower forms the foundation of community engagement in this approach, with membership including PLWH and SUD, sheriffs, within-jail staff, community service providers or other partners who are able to advance the adoption of EBPs within jail and service settings. All coalitions are trained and prepared to drive a planning process at the local level for efficient identification and allocation of resources needed to link people from CLS to a network of community providers for HIV and SUD care and retention. Community coalitions integrate evidence-based (ERIC) strategies: Build coalition; Promote network weaving; Identify/train champions; Conduct consensus discussions that support needed services.

Researchers will train all staff, healthcare providers and peer navigators to recognize and reduce stigma in CLS and healthcare settings using a training program informed by MPI Frye and colleagues in the CHHANGE (MH102182-01) intervention, which developed an anti-intersectional stigma training program for CBOs and offers comprehensive training to healthcare and social service organizations. Additionally, researchers will train staff and support protocol enhancements as needed to utilize tech mediated service delivery for NCM in-reach and services coordination in the community. These integrate 5 evidence-based (ERIC) implementation strategies: promote consultation; provide clinical/technical supervision; centralize technical assistance; change physical structure and equipment.

The multidisciplinary Implementation Team will be comprised of a correctional health nurse, social worker and discharge planner or counselor and corrections officer from the jail. A representative from the community coalition and peer and case manager from NCM will join the team using a tech-mediated platform for conducting the training and for on-going weekly case conferencing addressing system and client level barriers and service planning. The role of the champion from the correctional setting will be to convene meetings focused on fidelity to the intervention components, engagement in shared problem-solving and mediation of administrative issues that may inhibit effective implementation of TechMPower. The champion and implementation team may request technical assistance (TA) or implementation facilitation at any point during implementation. This TA may be provided by the investigative team or outside providers from federal programs.

Navigation-Enhanced Case Management (NCM) uses Project START, a CDC best evidence intervention as its HIV risk reduction framework. Prior to release, a case manager and peer navigator via telehealth and in-person provide discharge planning and patient education and serves as a liaison to the courts. After release, patient navigators facilitate reentry into community care and provide referrals to HIV medical and SUD care as appropriate (e.g., ART, PrEP, MOUD) and assistance with food, housing, transportation, employment, substance dependence, mental health treatment, and legal issues. TechMPower planned to enhance tracking of linkage during NCM services by integrating reporting along with a web-based platform that tracks assignment of providers and peers and follows for 6 months to capture PRISM linkage and retention in MOUD, HIV and ancillary care.