Alliance for Housing and Healing is a proud partner of the City of West Hollywood’s HIV Zero Strategic Plan.
VISION STATEMENT & GOALS
The City of West Hollywood is committed to being a place where people living with HIV have easy access to comprehensive healthcare and social support services; and, a place where no members of the community have an elevated risk for acquiring HIV or encounter discrimination based on HIV status, sexual orientation or gender identity. This is West Hollywood’s HIV Zero Initiative, which will be accomplished by focusing on four goals:
- Expand access to healthcare for people living with HIV and people currently at an elevated risk for acquiring HIV
- Reduce new HIV infections
- Reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequalities, and
- Slow disease progress from HIV to Stage 3 (AIDS).
“THE END OF THE EPIDEMIC” IN WEST HOLLYWOOD
West Hollywood defines the end of the epidemic as the point in time when new infections dip and stay below the number of AIDS-related deaths. This ambitious vision requires on-going commitments of resources, coordination with service providers and collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and private healthcare entities such as Cedars Sinai and Kaiser Permanente. Key elements such as public acceptance of health services and the adoption of tools to prevent HIV
transmission are also crucial in fulfilling the “HIV Zero” vision.
INDICATORS OF PROGRESS
The HIV Zero Initiative goals will be achieved by supporting local service providers that employ a combination of evidence-based and innovative approaches to serve our community. Consistent with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy updated to 2020, we have developed 7 indicators of progress, with a date to achieve the indicators by December 31, 2018.
- HEALTHCARE COVERAGE: Increase primary healthcare coverage enrollment by 6 percent among men aged 18 to 44 years from 77% at baseline to 81%.
- HIV DIAGNOSES: Reduce the number of new infections by 15% from 77 per year at baseline to no more than 66 per year.
- LINKAGE TO CARE: Increase the percentage of newly diagnosed persons linked to HIV medical care within 1 month of their diagnoses from 92% at baseline to 95%.
- RETENTION IN CARE: Increase the percentage of persons with diagnosed HIV infection who are retained in HIV medical care to 75% from 60%.
- VIRAL SUPPRESSION: Increase the percentage of persons with diagnosed HIV infection who are virally suppressed to 75% up from 69%.
- STAGE 3 DIAGNOSES: Reduce the percentage of persons diagnosed with Stage 3 (AIDS) to no more than 2% of the HIV positive population without a Stage 3 diagnoses.
- STIGMA: Reduce the rate of HIV diagnoses by 15% for young MSM (15-34 years).
HIV ZERO STRATEGIES
The City of West Hollywood service providers will use a combination of the following strategies to contribute to the success of the seven indicators of progress.
- HEALTHCARE ENROLLMENT
Enroll uninsured and underinsured community members in healthcare coverage
- PREVENTION OUTREACH & EDUCATION
Provide outreach and education regarding risk-reduction, HIV treatment, condom distribution, and biomedical interventions such as PEP and PrEP.
- BIOMEDICAL INTERVENTIONS
Ensure PrEP, PEP, and antiretroviral therapy is accessible and timely
- SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION & TREATMENT
Treat substance abuse with comprehensive and culturally competent
addiction recovery services
- MENTAL HEALTHCARE
Support individuals at a heightened risk for acquiring HIV and persons living
with HIV with trauma-informed mental health care
- TESTING & LINKAGE
Identify new positives through testing and linking those who test positive to a
medical provider
- HIV PRIMARY MEDICAL CARE
Ensure that people living with HIV have access to a medical provider that
specializes in HIV care and preventative medicine
- RETENTION IN CARE
Retain people living with HIV in care by eliminating barriers
- BUILD INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY REGARDLESS OF HIV STATUS
Programming, activities, and community engagement that reinforces inclusion,
and honors the contributions made by HIV positive community members
- HIV PUBLIC AWARENESS
Use social marketing and community forums to raise awareness and shift public opinion by addressing HIV stigma, biomedical interventions, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV treatment innovations, and the critical importance of initiating and adhering to antiretroviral therapy.
Click to view full plan + complete list of partners and providers.
