A Status Neutral Approach to Improve HIV Prevention and Health Outcomes for Racial and Ethnic Minorities – Implementation Sites

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the A Status Neutral Approach to Improve HIV Prevention and Health Outcomes for Racial and Ethnic Minorities – Implementation Sites. This three-year project has two coordinated components: Implementation Sites and an Evaluation and Technical Assistance Provider (ETAP). Funding is available for four RWHAP Part A recipients who are interested in developing and implementing a status neutral framework in their jurisdictions. The purpose of this project is to develop, implement, and evaluate status neutral strategies within Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part A jurisdictions for racial and ethnic minority subpopulations (i.e., Black women; Black, Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; transgender people; and people who use substances) who need HIV prevention services. This project will focus on the prevention pathway, utilizing the existing RWHAP non-medical case management model (NMCM) and applying it to people who test negative for HIV and are at substantial risk for HIV, in order to assist in improving access to needed services. NMCM is the provision of a range of client centered activities focused on improving access to and retention in needed core medical and support services. NMCM provides coordination, guidance, and assistance in accessing medical, social, community, legal, financial, employment, vocational, and/or other needed services. NMCM may also include assisting eligible clients to obtain access to other public and private programs for which they may be eligible. The goal of this project is to develop and implement a status neutral approach that: • Creates “one door” for both HIV prevention and treatment services. • Addresses institutionalized HIV stigma by integrating HIV prevention and care rather than supporting separate systems, which can deepen the divide between people with HIV and people who can benefit from HIV prevention services. • Enables people to know their status by making HIV testing, linkage to medical care, and testing for other medical conditions such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) more accessible and routine. Since a status neutral framework encourages a comprehensive, whole-person assessment of a person’s unique situation, it allows for more tailored—and therefore likely more successful—interventions. In addition to implementing the status neutral strategies in the four RWHAP Part A jurisdictions, the ETAP, funded under a separate announcement number (HRSA-23-127), will be a single organization funded via a cooperative agreement to provide technical assistance (TA), including planning, coordination, mapping services, and infrastructure development/enhancement, to the four implementation sites on the development of a status neutral framework. The ETAP will also evaluate the outcomes of the strategies implemented at the provider organizations within the four implementation sites and develop TA products and resources for dissemination to HRSA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded recipients.