Training for Health Centers
This training session will be delivered by the HITEQ Center in collaboration with Housing Works, a health center based in New York City. Staff from Housing Works will provide an overview of the TelePrEP model, considerations for implementation, and successes and barriers their TelePrEP program has faced. All health center staff are welcome to attend.
HITEQ Center, September 2023
This resource is an example of a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Process Map. Process maps can be used to document health center workflows.
HITEQ Center, June 2023
With nearly 100% of community health centers utilizing electronic health records (EHR) to care for patients, focus has pivoted from implementation and new workflow development to enhancement in order to drive value and reflect patient needs and population trends. EHR technology presents potential opportunities and significant constraints. Providers frequently document and share potentially sensitive information in the EHR, such as risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), consistent offers of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), or patient sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Capturing such information can be immensely helpful in providing care tailored to individuals’ needs, but additionally challenges teams to develop workflows that keep the data private rather than risk harm to patients through improper or unintended disclosure.
Identifying opportunities for improvements in health centers
In the 2022 UDS, United States health centers reported 7,328,565 of their 16,835,841 eligible medical patients (43.53%) were tested for HIV at least once after their 15th birthday and before their 66th birthday.
Curated PrEP resources for health centers, compliation in 2022.
HITEQ compiled this resource library for health centers, which houses actionable PrEP resources including checklists, pocket guides, and billing guidance. This curated set of resources aims to assist health centers in accessing those resources that directly address current PrEP challenges.
Health HIV Medical Education
Activity Description: PrEP continues to be underused by people who could benefit from it, especially those who face health disparities. Of the 1.2 million people in the U.S. who can benefit from taking PrEP, only about 23% have used PrEP. Data on PrEP coverage shows that racial/ethnic minorities, sexual minorities, youth, and women access PrEP at even lower rates. The interactive live webinar will feature perspectives of multiple diverse HIV prevention experts on PrEP uptake among relevant consumer/patient communities, including Black women, same-gender-loving (SGL) Black and Latinx men, and transgender individuals. Presenters will consider both challenges and opportunities for PrEP use among these communities,specific access issues, and strategies and model practices for providers and healthcare teams to address the unique barriers.
HITEQ Highlights Webinar
Primary care plays a key role in ending the HIV epidemic. The Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative launched across HHS in 2019, setting forth four key strategies also called the “four pillars” of ending the HIV epidemic. Primary care in federally qualified health centers figures centrally into these efforts, evidenced by the addition of several HIV screening and prevention measures and metrics in the Uniform Data System (UDS) reporting. This webinar reviewed the outcomes of the first year of HIV Screening and Prevention reporting on the UDS, highlight opportunities for quality improvement, and discussed funding opportunities.
A checklist from NC HIV Training & Education Center (NCHTEC)
As health centers integrate PrEP for HIV prevention into their primary care services, it is important to align with the latest guidance and research. The PrEP checklist from UNC School of Medicine's North Carolina HIV Training & Education Center offers step-by-step detailed guidance for providing PrEP. This checklist can be used to inform workflow, EHR, and other health IT updates including order sets and clinical decision support. It can also be used as a reference for providers who are newer to providing PrEP who are prompted or alerted to a patient's potential need for HIV prevention services.
We can only End the HIV Epidemic if we work together, and that includes data sharing. Sharing important information, such as HIV test results, can help ensure optimal care for people at risk for or living with HIV coming to or from different health centers. Check out these strategies and tools to learn some tried and true strategies for data-sharing between health centers.
HITEQ Highlights Webinar
What if we told you your electronic health record (EHR) was one of the keys to ending the HIV epidemic (EHE)? Your EHR is a powerful tool that can support increases in HIV testing, access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for people at risk for HIV, and so much more! View our HITEQ Highlights webinar on June 8th to learn more about leveraging your EHR through the use of digital tools and innovative strategies!