Meeting Summary – April 2021: Services for HIV Affected Communities During COVID-19

Apr 23, 2021 | Meeting Summary

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Article

Rogers, B. G., Arnold, T., Schierberl Scherr, A., Strong, S. H., Holcomb, R., Daley Ndoye, C., … & Chan, P. A. (2020). Adapting Substance Use Treatment for HIV Affected Communities During COVID-19: Comparisons Between a Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Clinic and a Local Community Based Organization. AIDS and Behavior, 24, 2999-3002. Access the article for free:

Article summary

This article describes how service providers adapted a substance use treatment program in New England to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. Project BREAK includes ongoing psychotherapy and serves primarily men who have sex with men who use stimulants / opioids.

A sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic and a community-based organization currently implement this project. These sites adopted new implementation strategies to continue psychotherapy and ongoing support services when COVID-19 social distancing restrictions created major program delivery challenges (February 2020).

The STI clinic switched to a telehealth model and successfully transitioned all clients to teletherapy. The community-based organization instead switched to a task-sharing strategy that consists of peer recovery coaches who directly interact with clients and receive ongoing guidance from the program therapist. Both programs reported greater success in supporting clients during the COVID-19 pandemic after these changes to program delivery.

Key meeting themes

Greater need for harm reduction services during COVID-19.

Telehealth can be a good solution for people who use drugs.

Telehealth also comes with challenges.

Peer recovery specialists may help address some issues.

Discussion Summary

Several Project BREAK staff members attended this month’s reading group and provided their insight. The following themes came from the discussion:

Greater need for Harm Reduction

Group members discussed how clients and community members have less access to social services and support groups because of social distancing restrictions. Individuals are still engaged in drug use and need support.

Telehealth as a solution

Telehealth allows clients and service providers to communicate for medical appointments, therapy and social support. This delivery strategy may be especially effective for women who face challenges due to lack of childcare support and youth with high technology literacy.

Challenges with telehealth

Some people who use drugs have limited cell phone data or access that might limit telehealth communication. Some may also have limited technology literacy or may lack the privacy or safety to talk about their substance use remotely.

Peer Recovery Specialists

Peer recovery coaches have greater flexibility to reach clients than other medical and support staff. The success of this model relies on close collaboration between peer recovery coaches and clinicians. Additional certifications and mental / emotional support are ways to support peer recovery coaches.

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