Online Program

286589
Metropolitan Atlanta community adolescent rapid testing initiative (MACARTI) with linkage to care and counseling trial


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Andres Camacho-Gonzalez, MD, MSc, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Kamilah Hendrix, MPA, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Amy Wallins, LMSW, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Rana Chakraborty, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Issues: HIV disproportionately affects African-American and Hispanic young people in the Southern United States. Georgia ranks 6th highest for HIV diagnoses nationally; novel HIV testing and care approaches for minority youth in Georgia are warranted. The Metropolitan Atlanta Community Adolescent Rapid Testing Initiative (MACARTI) uses non-traditional venue rapid testing, case management and motivational interviewing to improve HIV detection, linkage and retention in care for disproportionately affected minority youth in Atlanta. Description: The MACARTI trial has 2 phases: 1) venue identification based on focus groups with HIV-positive and at-risk youth, ethnographic studies and enrollment of the control arm (patients' referred for routine HIV care); 2) outreach to identify newly-diagnosed patients in non-traditional venues and enrollment of the intervention arm. Lessons Learned: Enrollment is ongoing for Phase 1; 28 subjects have participated in the focus groups. They were: 96% African-American, 69% male, 67% horizontally infected, with a median age of 21 years. The majority reported that they had: prostituted themselves to obtain food, drugs or lodging (83%); participated in sex parties (57%); liked venue testing (54%); felt that 1 minute testing was a better strategy than other rapid testing (82%). Participants' also provided a local venues list where youth gather to meet and/or to have sex. Phase 2 will start enrolling after review of Phase 1 venues. Recommendation: By including youth-specific feedback, we anticipate that MACARTI will increase identification of infected youth, decrease the first physician visit time to 2 weeks (currently 6 weeks) and improve retention rate to 80% (currently 60%).

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control

Learning Objectives:
Describe the complex issues surrounding the HIV-epidemic among adolescents and young adults between 18-24 years of age in Metropolitan Atlanta

Keyword(s): Adolescents, HIV Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist as well as principal investigator of the MACARTI trial currently funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I have been working with HIV infected and exposed children and adolescents for the past 7 years. My scientific interests include HIV prevention as well as complications of HIV treatment.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
Brystol Myers Squibb HIV Clinical Trials

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.