NEWLY DIAGNOSED SERVICES: • WORKSHOP SERIES• PEER NAVIGATORS

Background information about people newly diagnosed with HIV (ND/HIV)

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Estimated 15-30% of people who are HIV+ don’t know it.

This accounts for up to 50% of all new infections.

Transmission most likely occurs at the time period immediately

after infection when someone has a high viral load count.

For a number of reasons, average length of time to access HIV

service organizations is a gap of 2-3 yrs.

People diagnosed with HIV after 2006 (approx.) are the

third cohort and the focus of this presentation.(C.1.AIDS = Death C.2. ART= impaired mobility C.3. 1 pill/day)

BCPWA has two new models designed to address similar goals for people

newly diagnosed with HIV.

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Year 1: Workshop Series for Gay Men

Newly Diagnosed with HIV

Year 2: Workshop Series for People

Newly Diagnosed with HIV

Year 3: Development of Peer Navigators

Models in diabetes and cancer based health care have been exploring supportive education bridges to...

• fill the gap after getting a new diagnoses,

• delay disease progression and

• improve access to treatment and community based programs.

2 Overall Project Goals

Educate people ND/HIV about the value

of care and treatment.

Prevent disease

progression and

transmission.

Key influences:

• Antiretrovirals are perceived as being

as bad as HIV itself.

• The healthcare system can be confusing

and disempowering.

• HIV Organizations can seem

inaccessible.

• Doctors lack the time to educate patients

with basic HIV knowledge.

• Stopping or reversing disease

progression saves lives.

• Engage people when they

are highly infectious,

depressed and at risk for

transmitting the virus.

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Project Vision

• Newly diagnosed with HIV • Information naïve and “triggered” to learn• Don’t know they are HIV+

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providing the

right information,

for a targeted

group of people,

at the right time.

Promote HIV as a manageable chronic illness by...

• Accurate • Demystify• Hopeful• Realistic

• Safer sex talk during a crisis point is ineffective and

insensitive. (partner notification and safer sex)

• Where you are on the disease continuum when newly diagnosed is important.

• Non-clinical, accessible language• Relevant to the new cohort

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Peer NavigatorsWorkshop Series

• A series of three - one to one discussions designed to educate and empower.

• People ND/HIV direct their own care and support needs.

• Navigator assess needs and guides the process under which they gain knowledge and skills about their health.

• A two day series of workshops designed to educate and empower.

• More structured, less self directed.

• Share and ask questions with others who are ND/HIV.

• Decreases shame based isolation.

Structure

• Both provide a safe and confidential space.

Curriculum content is the same in both programs.

 

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• the new realities of living with HIV as an chronic illness – dispelling myths and misconceptions,

• the basics of HIV disease – disease progression, transmission, sex and risk

assessment,

• treatment information – when to start treatment, medication options and how

to manage side effects,

• safer sex and other STIs – harm reduction ideas,

• disclosure – strategies for meeting both the legal obligations and the personal challenges of sharing one’s HIV status with others,

• navigating the complexities of self care strategies,

• Doctors - finding appropriate HIV care in your community, understanding your blood work, and the importance of a “relationship” with your Doctor.

• “Supportive education bridges” combine support and education initiatives.

(Elements of peer counselling, treatment information, personalized wellness planning)

• Building trust with a knowledgeable peer creates a trusting entry point and

easier access into treatment and complementary programs

and services within our agency and throughout HIV and non-HIV

communities.

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Benefits of Newly Diagnosed Services

• Participant feedback indicated they feel more connected to a topic by a

peer rather than by a “professional”.

• Using inclusive language instead of jargon or medical terminology can

make the topic more approachable and easier to understand.

• Increases referrals between community partners - IDC, Social Workers,

other ASOs, Public Health Nurses and Doctors.

• Increasingly, an immediate response is preferred over asking people to wait until we have enough participants for a workshop.

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Lessons learned from Workshop

Workshops in Vancouver:• Lag time between first contact and day one workshop is too long.

• Committing to two full days is more intimidating than parcelling out information in portions.

Workshops outside Vancouver: • Geographic isolation makes logistics such as transportation, hotel and child care expenses more difficult to get people together over a weekend workshop.

• HIV stigma in smaller communities is pervasive. Isolation does not mean anonymous. Potential participants are hyper sensitive to “group” events that out them as HIV+.

• People active in their addiction or with severe mental health issues do not do well in a workshop environment.

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Lessons learned from Peer Navigators

• Participants are lacking the benefits of sharing their story with more people in a similar situation.

• Participant and peer navigator need to get to a “relatable and trusting”

interaction with each other quickly, in order for “real” conversation to

happen.

• Paid staff in smaller communities use a one-to-one model using

elements of a navigator skill set but may not be knowledgeable on

newly diagnosed issues. Providing front line workers with current newly

diagnosed information would be more helpful and economically

responsible.

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In Summary

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• Early HIV detection is important to prevent disease progression

and HIV transmission.

• HIV+ people that spiral off the grid at point of diagnosis increase

the likelihood of HIV transmission, disease progression and

health care costs.

• Educate that HIV as a manageable chronic illness for the third cohort

while continuing to meet the care needs of previous cohorts.

• HIV+ people are more likely to make healthy choices for themselves

and others when given HIV information that is time sensitive, relatable,

and relevant.

•

• Community based newly diagnosed programming compliments formal

health care systems.

Being HIV+ isn’t the only stigma, seeking help can be a stigma aw well.