PEER SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV (PWH

PEER SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV

“If there were the implementation of Peer Support services across the nation and in every agency or organization that provides services for people with HIV then I would not have received a paper slid in front of my face and leaving me all alone at the age of 19 to decipher for myself If I am HIV+.” T.I., N.A.P.A.-NY

Toolkit Goal #1

With this toolkit the Alabama AIDS Education Training Center (Alabama AETC) wishes to encourage the integration of people with HIV (PWH) as Subject Matter Experts (SME Peer Support) into multi-disciplinary care teams and, subsequently, strengthen their capacity to reach at-risk communities and, in turn, to enable those communities to access updated information and HIV care.

--see definition--

Toolkit Goal #2

We hope to urge Ryan White Clinics to utilize SMEs to carry out community activities in HIV prevention, care, and treatment. These workers may have a variety of titles, including: outreach worker, patient navigator, peer educator, counselor, linkage care coordinator, health system navigator, or promoter. Many Ryan White recipients have already successfully integrated these types of roles in their care continuum.

--see opportunities--

Definition

• Peer support is a flexible approach to building healing relationships among equals, based on a core set of values and principles. • Peers serve as role models for living and thriving with HIV, providing hope to clients living with HIV, and share strategies for overcoming the challenges of living with HIV.

Opportunities

• Bridging the gap between clients and providers. • Developing relationships with clients and encouraging them to share information they might not otherwise share with their providers. • Ability to spend more time with clients. • Address social determinants of health such as housing, food, transportation, employment, and other support services.

Checklist

Where to start...

F Determine the goal of SME involvement: What do you want to achieve by including an SME as part of the medical team? F Identify the role of the SME. F Examine and revise staffing plan for the HIV clinic, including a designated

SME supervisor. F Share with all team members for buy-in and support. F Set up a plan for orientation with all team members so the SME and the team members can discuss how they can work together.

GLENDA:

“I want everybody to understand the difference between HIV and AIDS”

MARVIN:

“I have been thriving with HIV for many years.”