IDS Action Foundation is pleased to present the Connecting to Care initiative, a new way of thinking about and addressing the United States’ HIV epidemic and health care crisis. The initiative is a framework for education about and implementation of methodologies that help connect people living with HIV to appropriate and continuous medical care.

An analysis of our nation’s health care needs finds many HIV+ people experiencing a precarious or non-existent relationship with primary medical care. The Ryan White Care Act legislation of 2000, through its amendments, targeted a new priority category for health service funding and interventions that encourages communities to address the “unmet need” of individuals with HIV who know their status and are not receiving regular medical care. Today, after more than 20 years of social and governmental responses, it is clear that the U.S. must focus its vision and strengthen its interventions. This initiative is designed to do just that.

Specifically, the objectives of the Connecting to Care initiative are:

To identify and document medical support service methodologies that have evidence of success in connecting HIV+ people to care.

To disseminate the Connecting to Care workbooks to be used as tools for program enhancement within a wide scope of health service settings.

To educate about the history of social and governmental developments in HIV as they relate to the epidemic in the United States and the needs of the populations living within its borders.

To bridge an understanding between the federal strategy to address HIV and the practical operations of health service settings.

To facilitate the successful connection to care of HIV+ people aware of their status who are not in regular medical care.

The initiative begins with the Connecting to Care workbooks and continues with conference workshops, training seminars, consultations and the publication of “field notes” which will provide updates and current thinking from the field. Check the website for news, announcements, and opportunities to participate.

Together we are revitalizing the national response to HIV. Welcome to Connecting to Care.

training sessions | email: connectingtocare@aidsaction.org
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Presented with support from the HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration