JSI is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) through the Secretary’s Minority HIV/AIDS Fund (MHAF) to serve as the Evaluation and Technical Assistance Provider (ETAP) for the Status Neutral Approach to Improve HIV Prevention and Health Outcomes for Racial and Ethnic Minorities initiative.
Launched in September 2023, the Status Neutral Approach (SNAP) ETAP initiative aims to advance the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of whole-person approaches to reduce disparities, prevent new HIV diagnoses, and improve health outcomes for communities disproportionately affected by HIV and related syndemics.
HRSA HAB funded four Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part A recipients as implementation sites for this initiative:
- Bexar County (San Antonio, Texas)
- Clark County (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- Hennepin County (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
- County of San Diego (San Diego, California)
JSI is working in partnership with the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO), HealthDataViz, HRSA HAB, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the four sites and their local partners.
Whole-Person Approaches
Whole-person approaches to HIV prevention and care emphasize comprehensive and high-quality care to engage and retain people in services. A whole-person approach continually addresses the healthcare and social service needs of all people who can benefit from HIV prevention and care services so that they can achieve and maintain optimal health and well-being.
The SNAP ETAP team is supporting each jurisdiction to develop, implement, and evaluate a whole-person approach that:
- Creates “one door” for both HIV prevention and treatment services.
- Addresses institutionalized HIV stigma by integrating HIV prevention and care.
- Makes 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.
The SNAP ETAP Approach
Our approach is grounded in JSI’s Person-Centered Care (PCC) framework to identify, prioritize, and tailor evaluation and TA activities at the system, service delivery, and client levels, and across the six PCC domains. The PCC framework complements whole-person services as it places the individual at the center, accounts for different perspectives on healthcare and wellness, supports a trauma-informed lens, and engages community members as active contributors to health systems, services, and experiences.
JSI is working collaboratively with the implementation sites, HRSA HAB, and other stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive multi-site evaluation; build capacity among RWHAP Part A jurisdictions; and identify and disseminate successful models, practices, and lessons learned to the broader RWHAP and HIV services community.
