AD-vice: Building Bridges in HIV Prevention & Care

Curated by: Aanchal Gupta, Program Coordinator, NaRCAD

Tags: ADvice, HIV/AIDS, Sexual Health, Gender-Affirming Care
 
In this edition of our AD-vice series, we delve into the critical role of community partnerships, approaches to address stigma, and evidence-based practices in HIV prevention and sexual health, empowering clinicians and patients to work together to make informed health decisions.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS & PARTNERSHIPS

• “We send out a Weekly Special [newsletter] with a buffet of options on new evidence and information related to HIV prevention and care. We’re creating an active and robust network of professionals!” – Rocko Cook, DISH-AZ

 

• “It’s important to build a relationship with your state’s health department leadership and obtain an official endorsement letter from the state supporting your activities. Establishing a relationship not only positively impacts your program’s visibility and ability to gain access to clinicians, but it also helps to make sure you're aware of other outreach initiatives.” – Ashley Allison, Oregon AIDS Education and Training Center

 

• “When I'm talking to providers, one of the things I hear most is, ‘I wish I had other providers to talk to about gender-affirming care.’ A big part of what we do with academic detailing is connect other providers together.” – Ryan Anderson, DISH-AZ

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ADDRESSING STIGMA

• “Whenever I address something uncomfortable with a provider, stigma or otherwise, I try to create an environment where we can work collaboratively on the issue and the provider feels as though I am a resource for them.”  – Jess Alward, MS, State of NH

 

• “In order to talk about PrEP, you first have to talk about risks for HIV, which often means talking about sex. I think there can be discomfort on both the patient and provider side, and sex is often still a stigmatized topic. There are also overarching resource barriers, including the fact that clinicians are extremely busy and have to address competing health needs in the primary care setting.” – Alyson Decker, NP, MPH, San Francisco Department of Public Health

 

• “All clinicians and staff need to be able to communicate with patients in a sex-positive way and in a way that connects with patients’ specific experiences, identities, and needs. They need to be comfortable communicating about sexual behavior, testing, and PrEP.” – Rocko Cook, DISH-AZ

 

• “Racial and ethnic minorities continue to be underrepresented in PrEP utilization and overrepresented in new HIV diagnoses, and I want my work to contribute to correcting this. I think PrEP can be a tool for health justice and being part of that is valuable to me.” – Mary Nagy, MPH, RN/BSN, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

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BEST PRACTICES, FLEXIBILITY & ADAPTABILITY

• “Providers were asked which supports would best help them to incorporate PrEP into their practice, and ‘education’ was by far the most frequent answer. In addition to the research I’ve seen indicating detailing is an effective intervention to change provider behavior, it's clear that the providers themselves agree that education is important.” – Mary Nagy, MPH, RN/BSN, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

 

• “There are many places where 1:1 visits aren’t feasible due to clinic structure or culture. If I’m able to detail to a small group, it can be a way to meet with a few providers and gain insight about how PrEP might be incorporated or enhanced in their setting.” – Alyson Decker, NP, MPH, San Francisco Department of Public Health

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The insights shared by experts highlight the power of partnerships, approaches to address stigma, and evidence-based practices in creating meaningful change and positively impacting patient outcomes. Explore our revamped HIV Prevention Toolkit for more tools and resources.
 
Best,
The NaRCAD Team