141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

276640
Application of a multi-disciplinary team approach to supportive housing case management for high-risk people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 1:10 PM - 1:30 PM

Danielle Strauss, MPH , HATSS, Harlem United Community AIDS Center, New York, NY
Monika Grzeniewski, MPH , HATSS, Harlem United, Bronx, NY
Gwen Didier, MA , HATSS, Harlem United, New York, NY
In 2009, Harlem United received a grant from the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA), the local Department of Social Services, to provide permanent supportive housing to PLWHA with histories of chronic homelessness and mental illness/substance use, as part of New York State and New York City's landmark NYNY III Agreement to create 9,000 new units of supportive housing in New York City. With this grant, an innovative approach to supportive housing case management was proposed based in part on the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model. ACT aims to replicate in the community the intensive multi-disciplinary service patients receive in psychiatric institutions, to help stabilize high risk patients and minimize visits to the emergency room and hospital. Harlem United selected this model after an in-depth needs assessment which resulted in a more tailored approach to addressing substance use and mental illness for the HIV population. The belief was that NYNY III clients would benefit from this more intensive approach to case management, as opposed to the more traditional model whereby one case manager is assigned to a caseload of clients. Over the past three years, we experimented with various adaptations to the model based on our available resources and desire to maintain fidelity to the multi-disciplinary team approach. Our presentation will highlight the successes and challenges with implementing a multi-disciplinary team approach to supportive housing case management based on a cost-benefit analysis of the intervention and data on health outcomes and housing stability from the past three years.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Program planning
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Explain how Harlem United adapted the ACT model to supportive housing case management for high-risk and dually diagnosed PLWHA. Identify the benefits and challenges of applying a team approach to supportive housing case management.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Housing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the Managing Director of Harlem United's NYNY III Supportive Housing Program, the program for which this abstract is based, since 2010. I was instrumental in developing the program model and adaptation as well as providing direct program oversight and conducting the program evaluation.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.