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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Center for Dissemination & Implementation Science

Assessing a Centralized Care Engagement and Syndemics Strategy for HIV

access-hiv-hub-icon

We have effective tools to prevent, treat, and stop the spread of HIV. However, for many people, complex social determinants and syndemic factors continue to hinder delivery of and engagement in HIV care. to address these barriers, the Chicago Department of Public Health funds the HIV Resource Coordination Hub (the "HUB", a first-of-its-kind, centralized, multi-agency program that provides rapid, low-barrier social service navigation and financial assistance to people with or vulnerable to HIV. The goal of HUB is to facilitate individuals' continued engagement with the larger system of HIV prevention and treatment services by taking care of their immediate needs. Since its launch in 2020, the HUB has demonstrated wide-scale reach to thousands of clients and has a strong potential to help other similar jurisdictions achieve their Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) goals. However, we need to understand both strategies and how to optimize and sustain implementation of the HUB overtime in Chicago as well as how to scale it for other settings. 

ACCESS-HIV (a.k.a. the HUB study) uses mixed-methods observational designs to:

  1. Identify strategies to improve uptake of and satisfaction with the HUB among end users
  2. Identify adaptations to achieve sustainable implementation of the HUB locally
  3. Develop implementation guides to inform scale-out of the HUB to other EHE jurisdictions

We will gather data from clients receiving HUB services, individuals who have never engaged with the HUB, HIV service agencies in Chicago that may interface with the HB, and HIV service agencies in other cities that might benefit from the same model. Results from this study will inform ongoing local practice and provide critical information about scaling out the HUB to support EHE efforts nationally.

Project Details

  • Dates: September 2023 - April 2025
  • Funding Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • Grant Number: (P30AI117943 supplement)

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