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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Jennifer Toller Erausquin, MPH¹, Naihua Duan, PhD², Oscar Grusky, PhD³, Ellen Rudy, PhD⁴, Aimee-Noelle Swanson, PhD⁵, Tiffany Horton⁶, and Dustin Kerrone⁶. (1) Dept. of Community Health Sciences, UCLA School of Public Health, P.0 Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, 3105589890, jtoller@ucla.edu, (2) Center for Community Health, UCLA Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, P.O. Box 705146, Los Angeles, CA 90095-5416, (3) Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services, UCLA Dept. of Sociology, P.O. Box 155103, Los Angeles, CA 90095-5103, (4) Sexually Transmitted Disease Program, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, 2615 S. Grand Avenue Room 500, Los Angeles, CA 90007, (5) UCLA School of Public Affairs, Box 951656, 3320 Public Policy Bldg, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656, (6) Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, 1625 N. Schrader Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Background and significance: Latinos account for 42% of AIDS cases and nearly 70% of the Latino AIDS cases are attributable to male-to-male sexual contact in Los Angeles County (LAC). Psychosocial, system, and environmental barriers limit Latino access to HIV testing and care. In 2004, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center (LAGLC), a community-based organization, collaborated with UCLA to develop an outreach service model for young Latino MSMs (YLMSMs). The model included outreach and testing/counseling/early entry into care. The outreach component consisted of project staff recruiting potential testers by magazine ads and by distributing outreach cards at entertainment venues frequented by YLMSMs. The second component centered on counseling and testing individuals at a LAGLC clinic that was open in the evenings and close to YLMSM venues. This component also involved offering OraQuick oral fluid rapid testing and linking newly-diagnosed HIV-positive clients to care within 72 hours. Results and lessons learned: Community members were involved in the design, planning, implementation, and evaluation of the intervention. Prior to, during, and after the intervention, focus groups were held to inform the intervention model, outreach efforts, and testing/counseling protocols. This presentation uses data from the focus groups with clinic staff, outreach volunteers, and YLMSMs. We describe the challenges of implementing the integrated, multi-component intervention and discuss the ways in which clinic staff and outreach volunteers overcame many of these challenges, resulting in an effective integrated, targeted outreach and service intervention.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe the key components of an integrated HIV outreach and service model for young Latino men who have sex with men (MSMs).
• Articulate two ways in which collaboration between a community-based organization and a university research team benefited the target population.
• List four obstacles to effective outreach to young, Latino men who have sex with men.
• Discuss the logistical challenges of implementing an integrated HIV outreach and service model, and simple but useful techniques for overcoming these challenges.

Keywords: HIV Interventions, Gay Men

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation