Last-Resort Medication Assistance for Youth, Uninsured Adults, and Transgender Patients

Track: Finance and Access Models

Location: Fort Bend B, Level 2

Presenters:

Sarah Palmer, Texas Health Action-Kind Clinic

Evan Mahony, Texas Health Action-Kind Clinic

The workshop will describe the Kind Patient Assistance Program (KPAP), a Kind Clinic program that offers last-resort financial assistance for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), HIV treatment, and hormone therapy to patients who are ineligible for other assistance programs.

Success of Same-Day PrEP Start For Priority Populations

Track: Navigation, Retention and Re-Engagement

Location: Fort Bend A, Level 2

Presenters:

Daniel Mendez, Howard Brown Health

Laura Rusie, Howard Brown Health

Kristin Keglovitz-Baker, Howard Brown Health

María Pyra, Howard Brown Health

At an urban FQHC that specializes in sexual and gender minority health, a same-day PrEP protocol was rolled out in 2015. We describe the process used for same-day PrEP, as well as report on rates of PrEP persistence and care retention among priority populations.

Collaborative Rapid Response to Status-Neutral HIV Prevention and Treatment Efforts

Track: Navigation, Retention and Re-Engagement

Location: Memorial, Level 3

Presenters:

Kristin Kennedy, JASMYN

Sabrina Cluesman, NYU Silver School of Social Work

Engaging queer & trans youth of color (QTYOC) in HIV prevention & treatment services can be challenging & requires community collaboration efforts to address the unique needs of this population. Accessing affordable healthcare services is complicated, & this population often falls through the cracks due to systems of care lacking a youth-centric approach. This interactive workshop will outline barriers that QTYOC often face in accessing affordable sexual health services, as well as strategies for engaging this population in HIV prevention & treatment efforts. Workshop participants will learn how strategic community partnerships, similar to that of JASMYN and Florida Department of Health-Duval County (FDOH-D), provide an opportunity to expand services & decrease barriers to care for QTYOC. Finally, participants will better understand the benefit of utilizing a status neutral approach to rapid response of HIV prevention & treatment services, which de-stigmatizes access to services & supports continued engagement in care.

“Strike a Pose” House & Ballroom Community Mobilization Tools

Track: Community Mobilization

Location: Sugarland, Level 3

Presenters:

George Jackson, APEB

Mikiya Thomas, APEB

“House Lives Matters” is an International House and Ballroom Campaign aimed to address the gaps between grant dollars and community mistrust. The “Non-Profit Industrial” complex can be a temptation for improper or inadequate community mobilization. This workshop will direct and guide to ensure House and Ballroom Community Mobilization is equally both intentional and sustainable. Via engaging activities facilitated by true House and Ballroom Leaders participants will be guided in the replication processes for appropriate House and Ballroom Community Mobilization from both agency and community levels. The showcasing of two testing and linkage initiatives designed by House Ballroom Leaders, Community Stakeholders and Biomedical HIV Prevention Agencies, APEB will highlight best practices for House and Ballroom Community Engagement Strategies.

PrEP Uptake, HIV Incidence and Access Barriers

Location: Montgomery A, Level 2

This workshop will start discussing the correlation between PrEP Uptake and Incidence. The second part of the session will look at access barriers for Latino MSM and how can they be overcome. It will include the following presentations:

Correlation between prep Uptake and HIV Incidence/Prevalence in Texas -> Prep Uptake, HIV Incidence and Access Barriers 

Track: Implementation Research

Presenter:Dennis Chau, Texas Health Action – Kind Clinic

Limited data exists on the spatial distribution of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP) with regards to HIV incidence and prevalence. This workshop covers techniques for mapping patient distribution and identifying clusters of patients alongside how to compare patient clustering to the HIV incidence and prevalence within a specific geographic area. Methods used to calculate the clustering of patients will be discussed alongside calculations of correlation coefficients to quantify the measure of association between the number of patients and HIV incidence and prevalence. The second part of the workshop includes the potential for evaluation and location-specific methods to engage communities of interest and next steps for approaching populations of interest given the results of the spatial analysis.

Intimidating, Expensive, and Awkward: Overcoming Access Barriers for Latino MSM

Track:  Navigation, Retention and Re-Engagement

Presenter:Stephen Fallon, PhD, Latinos Salud

Miami-Dade County ranks first in the nation in new HIV cases.  Latino MSM are the only population showing increasing rates of new infections.  PrEP and U = U have the potential to curb new infections.  However, Latino MSM have low rates of PrEP uptake, and lower engagement in HIV care. Latinos Salud, a gay, Latino-based CBO providing prevention services, uses a navigation model that succeeds through three key elements: 1) spending time with clients to build rapport before PrEP navigation or care engagement; 2) constantly updating directories for each clinic’s ever-changing fee structures, waivers, and appointment availability; and 3) confirming multiple means of contact to support each client’s adherence.

This presentation will describe specific cases of Latino MSM successfully enrolled in PrEP, engaged in care, or retained through the three strategies above.  Participants will take live poll surveys to test their readiness to adopt similar strategies in their own settings.

Black Cisgender Women and the HIV PrEP Care Continuum

Track: Navigation, Retention and Re-Engagement

Location: Harris, Level 2

Presenters:

Leandra Stubbs, National Institutes of Health

Oni Blackstock, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Leisha McKinley-Beach, Leisha.org

Charlene Flash, Legacy Community Health

Dr. Michael Stirratt, National Institutes of Health

Dr. Keoha Bond, New York Medical School

Dr. Tiara Willie, Yale School of Medicine

The purpose of this workshop is to discuss emerging, culturally-adapted strategies and methods to engage, link, and retain U.S.-based Black cisgender women in the PrEP care continuum. A diverse panel of presenters representing community-based agencies, public health departments, research institutions, and healthcare organizations will share research findings that highlight perceptions, barriers, and facilitators to PrEP uptake among Black cisgender women. They will further identify and describe tools and approaches which aim to advance and support PrEP use among Black cisgender women. Discussants will provide insight on existing gaps in research, policy, and clinical practice and suggest future directions specific to Black women.

Trust Your Jotería: Latinx HIV Prevention and Care Community Responses

Track: Community Mobilization

Location: Tanglewood, Level 3

Presenters:

Sean Bland, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law

Alex Aldana, HIV Advocate

Elias Diaz, Eagle Pass SAFE

Carlos Gómez, Bienestar

Sexual and gender minority Latinx (SGML) communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV. While new HIV diagnoses stabilized for gay and bisexual men from 2012-2016, they increased by 12% during this period for Latinx gay and bisexual men. According to national epidemiological data, Latinx transgender individuals are also disproportionately impacted by HIV compared to their transgender counterparts. Culturally relevant programming and organizing are crucial to the success of biomedical HIV prevention for SGML communities. This workshop will introduce and discuss multiple community-based organizations across the country engaged in supporting effective HIV prevention and care by and for Latinx gay and bisexual men and Latinx transgender individuals and will highlight the cultural programing and organizing efforts needed to reduce HIV rates in SGML communities.

The Power of Collaboration to Bring PrEP to Marginalized Communities

Track: Community Mobilization

Location: Montgomery B, Level 2

Presenters:

Kimberly Palacios, Fundacion Latinoamericana de Accion Social, Inc.

Kevin Anderson, AIDS Foundation Houston

As a Community Based Organization, there are limitations to medical services that can be directly offered. As a 340B participant, AIDS Foundation Houston (AFH) saw a need to provide PrEP services to underserved marginalized communities and provide health outcomes by offering PrEP during non-traditional hours. AFH primary target is African-American and Hispanic MSM and African-American Women. Recognizing the power of collaboration, Fundacion Latino Americana de Accion Social (FLAS), which primarily serves Hispanic LGBTQ+, and AFH created a collaboration focused on training, administering, and linking clients to PrEP and other medical services. This collaboration provides an opportunity to address the needs of clients that will not often follow through on health care needs. This session will examine the proper steps to follow when collaborating with another agency with the ultimate goal of linking marginalized communities to PrEP.

Women and Biomedical HIV Prevention -> Possibilities and Progress in Biomedical HIV Prevention Research

Location: Liberty, Level 2

This workshop will discuss ways to empower communities with “try on” methods and information. It will include the following presentations:

Flirt, Insert, and Squirt: Community Desire in HIV Prevention

Track: Implementation Research

Presenter:Clare Collins, Microbicide Trials Network

A well-made shirt can look great on a hanger, but it’s an entirely different experience when you’re in the fitting room trying it on. It could be the fit or even the fabric. The same is true of HIV prevention. A product may seem great sitting on your medicine cabinet shelf, but if it’s not the right fit for your lifestyle, you probably won’t use it at all.

This interactive workshop will introduce a new kind of study approach that seeks to empower communities by providing the opportunity to “try on” potential HIV prevention methods and share their experiences before specific products have been developed.  The study, called DESIRE, is asking cisgender and transgender people to use and compare three different placebo approaches to biomedical HIV prevention from anal sex. By engaging with communities early on, products can be developed that better address their needs and offer choice in HIV prevention.

Okay Ladies Let’s Get In-formation: Women & Biomedical HIV Prevention

Track: Training Programs

Presenter:

Brian Minalga, MSW, The Legacy Project

Clare Collins, Microbicide Trials Network

Moreniké Giwa Onaiwu, Women’s HIV Research Collaborative

Chloe Jordan, Emory University School of Medicine

Transgender and cisgender women urgently need options for biomedical HIV prevention—especially women of color. About 25% of trans women in the US are estimated to be living with HIV, and cis women account for nearly one-fifth of all HIV diagnoses in the US. The CDC estimates that nearly 500,000 women in the US could benefit from Truvada as PrEP, but less than 1% of those actually take it. Biomedical research routinely excludes women from studies, resulting in poor knowledge of biomedical efficacy in women and limited approval of products. What biomedical options do women really have for HIV prevention? This presentation will introduce you to a PowerPoint training on biomedical HIV prevention for trans and cis women developed by the Women’s HIV Research Collaborative. The training covers biomedical HIV prevention options currently available to women as well as products under research: microbicides, new forms of PrEP, and vaccines.

Dangerous Intersection: Chemsex, Race, and HIV

Track: Navigation, Retention and Re-Engagement

Location: Clear Lake, Level 3

Presenters:

David Fawcett, Seeking Integrity, LLC

Donald Powell, EXPONENTS

This workshop examines the escalating use of crystal meth among Black/Latinx MSM, the intersection with HIV in those communities, the underlying social factors that heighten risk, and promising research for both harm reduction and abstinence programs. The presenters will use a social justice approach in describing this epidemic and promising interventions.