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SPNS OPTIONS

Valley AIDS Council was recently awarded a contract from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to implement the OPTIONS Replication Project: A Physician Delivered Intervention for HIV Positive Patients in Clinical Care. This project is evaluating the fidelity and feasibility of implementing an HIV-behavior change counseling intervention, known as OPTIONS, which is administered by clinicians for HIV-positive patients. The OPTIONS project is a Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) initiative based on a model originally funded by the National Institutes of Health. This project will provide training on the implementation of the OPTIONS protocol, develop new and/or modify existing methods and tools to assess the ability of the model to be replicated. As one of the 15 sites replicating the model, we will share findings to the broader Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act Community.

Key Components of the Intervention: What you have to “keep-in” to achieve the expected results?

The Theory: The IMB Model (Figure 1) is the theoretical framework for the high-school classroom intervention. According to the IMB model, HIV risk behaviors are driven by deficits in HIV prevention information, motivation, and behavioral skills. In order to increase HIV preventive behaviors, school-based interventions must identify and remediate these deficits.

The IMB model employs 3 guiding principles that are critical to impact levels of prevention behavior within an individual or population (Figure 2).

1. Weaknesses within each of the model components (information, motivation, and behavioral skills), must first be identified. This is done through a technique called elicitation research. Focus groups, surveys, and other quantitative and qualitative can be used to conduct elicitation research and catalogue the population’s existing deficits. To design school-based interventions, elicitation research can be done by school-based personnel.

2. Using the findings from the elicitation research, interventions are designed to address the specific deficits identified.

3. Determining whether or not the intervention impacts the information, motivation, behavioral skills, deficits and the actual behavior of the participants is critical in measuring the intervention’s success. This involves evaluation research.

Project Investigator: Charles Smith
Medical Director: Fernando Garcia, MD

Credit: http://www.chip.uconn.edu/

Proyecto Juntos

 

 

The goals of Proyecto Juntos were designed to:
1) To Increase Access To Locally Delivered Primary Health Care For Persons Living With HIV In The Lower Rio Grande Valley of the US -- Texas --Mexico border and
2) To Organize Health Care Networks With Capacity To Provide A Comprehensive Array Of Health And Enabling Services To Persons Living With HIV Along The U.S. – Texas – Mexico Border. The partner agencies are the Valley AIDS Council, Nuestra Clinica del Valle, and United Medical Centers of Eagle Pass.  The centers are all major providers of primary health care to medically underserved populations in the target area.

Project evaluation included a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods required to appropriately assess project outcomes and longer term project effects.  The evaluation was participatory in nature and involved stakeholders in the conceptualization, development and implementation of measures and indicators required for the evaluation.  The CDC’s Framework for Evaluating Public Health Programs was utilized to guide all aspects of evaluation activities.   Findings and lessons learned from project activities were disseminated and tailored to the needs and potential uses of identified target audiences including providers of health and social services, policy makers, planning bodies, and the general public.

For more information: www.ou.edu/border

Project Coordinator Elias Cantu Jr
SPNS Local Evaluator Yolanda Cantu, PhD (c) (UTHSC-SA)
SPNS Data Collector Carol Ybarra
SPNS Physicians Fernando Garcia, MD (VAC)
Shanta D'Lima (NCDV)
Jorge A. Barobosa-Sosa, MD (UMC)
SPNS Nurses

 

 

 Olga Carranza, RN
Belinda Zamora, LVN (NCDV)
Diana de la Rosa, LVN (UMC)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shared Bottom Border

  

The AIDS Information number is 1-800-333-SIDA  Questions? Email us!
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Valley AIDS Council (VAC) is a private, non-profit organization which provides primary outpatient care and support services to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS in South Texas.
 

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