The supplemental project titled, “The JUNTOS Referral Network: Planning an Implementation Strategy to Enhance the Reach of HIV Prevention and Treatment Services to Latino MSM and Address Intersectional Insecurities,” was created out of a need for a centralized referral database for HIV prevention and treatment options in Miami. The project aimed to make referrals to these services easier as this was one of the biggest barriers for organizations who do not offer these services themselves. Working with Care Resource and the Florida Department of Health, the project has been able to enhance reach of services to Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). By including details in a resource repository as simple as “Does this agency offer this service in Spanish?” they can make referring out easier for interventionists as they are able to choose a better fit for patients.
“Working on clinical trials as an interventionist, I’ve often found it difficult to make certain referrals and know exactly where to send people based on particular needs,” said Audrey Harkness, Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies for the University of Miami. “When the call for these supplements came out we agreed that this was a community need that we wanted to study and see what we could create.”
Aim 1 of the planning project consisted of figuring out what information was needed within the JUNTOS (Joining Under-connected Networks to Optimize Salud) tool. The team gained a lot of knowledge and guidance from both Latino MSM and implementers about what information and features they thought would be useful to have within the tool. From this, the next step in aim 2 was for the team to take what they learned and create an organizational survey/interview with which the team collected very detailed and granular information about the services that over 50 sites offer.
“Our team was trying to figure out whether we could collect very specific information from the sites,” said Harkness. “From offering PEP services to details about offering transportation to and from PEP appointments. It was exciting that were able to collect that level of granularity and very useful information. The tool is also essentially a living document and if another organization wants to join, we always welcome that.”
Aim 3 then consisted of developing prototypes of how the tool looks. Now that the team has a good sense of what this tool will look like, their next steps are create a functioning version of it and pilot test it. Harkness announced that the team just received a notice of award for an R34 to be able to do this.
“We hope that once this tool is available it will be something that can be widely used in the community and helpful to those who not only work in organizations but also that it becomes a resource that is known and shared among Latino MSM in Miami and beyond.” Harkness said.
As the JUNTOS Referral Network supplement continues its work in the EHE initiative and beyond, we are excited to continue learning more about the project’s findings and implementation strategies. If you would like to learn more or if you’re an organization in South Florida that would like to get involved, please contact Audrey Harkness at aharkness@miami.edu.
More on Project Spotlights: The Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States (EHE) Supplement Project Spotlight series dives into the research and outcomes of projects funded by the NIH as part of the EHE initiative. EHE was announced in 2019 with the goal of reducing new HIV infections in the United States 90 percent by 2030, and advancing health equity through scaling up HIV prevention and treatment strategies. Visit HIV.gov to learn more about the EHE initiative, and check out the NIH website for information on supplement projects.
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