142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Project IMPACT: Accessing HIV and HCV Testing in the Municipal Court

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Sunday, November 16, 2014

Anne Burgess , Department of Prevention, NO/AIDS Task Force, New Orleans, LA
Katherine Naugle, MPH, MSW , Department of Prevention, NO/AIDS Task Force, New Orleans, LA
Issue: The Orleans Parish Municipal Court (OPMC) oversees more than two-thirds of the arrests made in Orleans Parish; a disproportionate number of whom are either low-income, African American, substance abusers, sex workers, homeless or otherwise high-risk. New Orleans is ranked in the top 5 for both estimated AIDS and HIV case rates among large metropolitan areas.

Description: Project IMPACT (PI) is an innovative HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) testing program that recruits individuals summoned for OPMC’s Division C court session for voluntary testing, counseling, and referrals. The purpose of the program is to serve individuals who are at risk, but who do not routinely test in a clinic environment. PI utilizes an opt-in recruiting strategy where everyone present in the court is asked if they want a test, and only those volunteering are tested. For those testing preliminarily positive for HIV, confirmatory tests are offered onsite and linkage to care is arranged with a local HIV/AIDS service organization.

Lessons Learned: In its first year, PI conducted 1350 HIV and 55 HCV tests with positivity rates at 0.96% and 28% respectively. Of those tested, roughly 20% had no previous testing history. Some basic participant demographics of those tested include: 83% African American, 51% male, 9% MSM, 9% IDU, and 32% high-risk heterosexual.

Recommendations: PI plans to increase HCV testing in its second year to reach 200 tests. The program also plans to increase the number of HIV tests conducted by expanding recruiting efforts into other courtrooms.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Describe the implementation of HIV and HCV testing at the municipal court. Explain how this pilot program services a population that is not accessing traditional clinics. Discuss the successes and challenges found in the first year of providing HIV and HCV screenings in the courthouse.

Keyword(s): HIV/AIDS, Community-Based Partnership & Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the program coordinator for this pilot program since it's initial implementation in December 2012. As such, I am responsible for navigating both the challenges and successes of the program, and ensuring its viability.
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.

Back to: 2030.0: Innovations in HIV Testing