INTRODUCTION: PUTTING PEER SUPPORT IN PERSPECTIVE
by Landon L. Nichols, Jr. MPA he/him/his Peer support first began in the 1980s as a significant form of assistance for people dying from AIDS-related illnesses (Denver Principles and MIPA, Meaningful Involvement of People with HIV). This Toolkit will function as a manual for implementing intentional peer support services, offered by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), for and by people living with HIV. Peer support services have become essential for realizing the federal goals in the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE) by helping people cope with an HIV diagnoses, deal with HIV related stigma, and navigate care and social services that can be daunting for the newly diagnosed. Putting people with HIV at the heart of the HIV Care Continuum as experts, and seeing them as essential healthcare workers in ending the HIV epidemic, builds mutual empowerment, leadership development and healing through personal storytelling and empathy. No one understands the reality of HIV better than a person with HIV. As observed by Mattie, each person has their own story to tell and experiences to share. Since the beginning of the epidemic, people living with the virus have been on the front lines fighting for resources that prevent new HIV infections, promote improved HIV treatments, and expand the availability of care and services. Trained peer advocates bring a unique, experiential perspective that care professionals, social workers and others who are not living with HIV simply cannot provide. Studies of peer programs have shown again and again that they are effective in improving self-efficacy of managing illness while decreasing hospitalization, helping to maintain healthy behaviors and a higher quality of life for participants. Many policy makers, educators, and healthcare practitioners have stressed the importance of cultural competence in the delivery of HIV services.
“No one understands the reality of HIV better than
The practice of incorporating SME into existing care teams is also recognized as a crucial step towards culturally competent care. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has even highlighted the effectiveness of using peers in promoting positive health outcomes in underserved and marginalized communities. SMEs accomplish this by acting as liaisons between providers and clients, translating medical jargon into layperson terms, providing education and informal counseling, serving as navigators to help clients access the healthcare system, and providing connections to other community resources. SME can also relay information from clients to providers about improving the quality of their care. Many HIV-related publications and literature have attested to the effectiveness of peer support programs in improving medication and appointment adherence among the clients of these programs. The quality of healthcare services increases when people with HIV play an instrumental role in advancing that access for others.
a person with HIV.”
This Toolkit advocates for the integration of SME into a multidisciplinary care team, depending on the needs of the organization, SME can work as part of an advisory board or in teams with case managers to find people who are out of care, or communities disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic. They can provide support and education individually or in groups. The information, tools and resources provided will help organizations and communities work together to effectively involve people with HIV in their own care and treatment as and treatment of others, elevating them to something more than just another patient with HIV.
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