There are more than 50,000 people living in Georgia who are HIV positive with 45 percent not receiving appropriate care. Also, one out of five HIV positive people in Georgia have no idea that they are HIV positive. Finding sustainable HIV treatment and care is very important for people with HIV, but for many navigating through different systems can become so frustrating, that a connection to care is never made.
The HIV Prevention Program http://dph.georgia.gov/hiv-prevention-program housed within the Georgia Department of Public Health http://dph.georgia.gov has two major funding streams, that includes CDC www.cdc.gov and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Services (SAMHSA) www.samhsa.gov both housed within HHS.
The HIV Prevention Program coordinates the Statewide HIV Prevention Planning group, implements the state’s HIV Prevention Plan, coordinates the HIV testing program and data reporting for the state, plus provides funding to community-based organization and public health districts.
Through federal government funding, the HIV Prevention Planning Group http://dph.georgia.gov/Georgia-hiv-prevention-community-planning-group has developed a “Comprehensive HIV Prevention Program” to identify newly diagnosed HIV positive clients along with clients that have been previously diagnosed and identified as “Lost to Care”. Their goal is to link HIV positive people to medical care and other supportive services.
The CAPUS Demonstration Project www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/demonstration launched in 2012 is a three year cross-agency project led by CDC to create more efficient and more effective systems to improve HIV testing specifically targeting high risk minority populations.
The Georgia CAPUS Care Portal http://gaCapus.com, a clearinghouse with information related to HIV/AIDS was recently launched. CAPUS is supported by the HHS Minority AIDS Initiative Fund. The total projected funding for a three year period is expected to be $44.2 million with the Georgia Department of Health to receive $7.5 million to implement the CAPUS Care Portal.
The CAPUS portal’s “Mapping and Testing Tool” features a testing map and lists testing event dates and locations across the state and displays a graphic display of HIV/AIDS incidences in the state.
In addition, the portal enables Community Based Organizations and healthcare providers to use the HIV Continuum Visualizer, a specialized map to help healthcare professionals make better decisions on testing, outreach, and ways to link to expert care.
The portal’s “Resource Directory”, helps locate local services for people living with HIV and AIDS. By selecting an area in the state, users can connect with essential services in specific categories.
These categories include HIV testing, medication assistance, oral health, food assistance, case management, treatment, housing assistance, mental health, substance abuse, primary care, family planning, shelters, legal services, spiritual resource, and transportation.
SAMHSA has provided funding for the “Minority AIDS Initiative for Targeted Capacity Expansion” (MAI-TCE) to develop and expand an effective integrated behavioral health and primary care network to include HIV services and medical treatment within racial and ethnic minority communities.
MAI-TCE initiative supports the 12 Cities Project www.aids.gov/podcast/twelve-cities/the-12-cities-project.html as directed by HHS. This has resulted in the Georgia Department of Health creating “Atlanta CHANGE” to formalize existing relationships among HIV/AIDS provider agencies into a consortium of community-based health and primary care programs.
The consortium provides coordinated and integrated multidisciplinary services for individuals from underserved communities living with HIV/AIDS and a mental health and/or substance abuse disorder.