Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

George J. Greene, MA and Clifford Armstead. Chicago Area Priority Access Project, Working for Togetherness, 3333 W. Arthington St., Suite 108, Chicago, IL 60624, 773-265-5626, cliffordarmstead@sbcglobal.net

Issue: Increasing HIV rates among young, African-American men who have sex with men (MSM) suggest that this population is not being effectively reached by traditional HIV prevention services. As such, funders and researchers have called for innovative interventions that specifically target young AAMSM, particularly HIV+ individuals not in medical care (MMWR, 2003; Ross et al., 2003; Wohl et al., 2002). One such intervention is conducting street outreach with mobile HIV testing units. Mobile units deliver health information, education, and testing services to hard-to-reach populations. This presentation will articulate our project's innovative approach to mobile HIV education and testing: “Mobile Tech Outreach.”

Description: By applying urban marketing strategies to HIV prevention, our outreach vehicles (a Hummer and a GMC conversion van) are equipped with high-tech audio-visual equipment (TVs, DVD players, video game systems) and travel into HIV-impacted communities where mobile and fixed-site outreach is performed, including HIV/STI counseling and testing. This service delivery system minimizes cultural barriers to health-seeking behaviors and facilitates our ability to deliver HIV/AIDS prevention services to groups disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic.

Lessons/Recommendations: Preliminary evaluation data indicate that Mobile Tech Outreach can: (1) reach hard-to-find populations; (2) effectively promote HIV testing; and (3) identify HIV+ individuals not previously in care and link them to medical and ancillary support. The next step in our project involves conducting a quasi-experiment to determine the effectiveness of using Mobile Tech Outreach vehicles versus a Department of Health mobile unit for attracting young AAMSM to HIV counseling and testing services.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to

• Identify urban marketing strategies for young, African American men.
• List components of an effective Mobile Tech Outreach program.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Access and Services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered