Summary

The PfH model trains health care providers to quickly and easily gain basic skills and practice to briefly discuss safer sex and disclosure with their patients who are living with HIV. The program provides comprehensive and easily adaptable materials and training for this purpose.

Program Background & Goals

The Partnership for Health (PfH) program began in 1998 out of the research of Dr. Jean Richardson at the University of Southern California. Following the research study the program evolved into a training program through the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center.

The Partnership for Health is designed to train health care providers and staff in HIV outpatient clinics how to talk more effectively with patients about protecting themselves, protecting their sex partners and disclosing their HIV status to sex partners. Our goal is to reduce new infections and re-infections of HIV among HIV positive patients and their sex partners. Additionally, we hope to improve patient/provider communication about safer sex and disclosure.

The 2-Day Train the Trainer Workshop

Through our 2-day train the trainer workshop, clinic representatives learn about Partnership for Health and gain skills to train providers and staff at their own clinics to use this prevention model. The workshop is practical and interactive and includes lecture, small group discussion, role-plays and practice presentations.

As a participant in this 2-day workshop you will:

• Receive instruction and all the materials you need to conduct a 4-hour training at your own site. Materials include: training manual, PowerPoint presentation, posters, brochures, chart stickers and bilingual handouts;

• Gain skills to more effectively talk with HIV-positive patients about safer sex & disclosure;

• Meet and network with other HIV providers & staff from HIV clinics in your region;

• Practice your skills in a half-day mock training.

Who Should Attend?

Clinics usually send two representatives to become trainers: one medical provider (M.D., P.A., N.P., etc.) and one additional staff member. AETC faculty interested in providing trainings to HIV clinics in their region are also invited to attend.

Once trained, workshop participants integrate prevention for positives into their own clinic through trainings, material distribution, etc.

Please note that participants must have a date to train their own clinic set PRIOR to attending the workshop. Please schedule your clinic training for within 6 months of attending the workshop. This program is supported by a grant from the HIV/AIDS Bureau, Health Resources & Services Administration and provides Train the Trainer workshops free of charge to HIV outpatient clinics.

Rationale

The PfH intervention is designed to be delivered by the primary care provider in the HIV clinic setting. Previous research has demonstrated the powerful and important effect of behavior change counseling provided by health care providers to their patients. Examples of these include smoke cessation, weight loss and reduction in alcohol consumption. In addition, there is precedent for the health care provider to include concern for patient family members, sex partners, and other intimates as in the cases of sexually transmitted disease treatment and contact tracing; tuberculosis treatment and protection of family members and the health effects of smoking, drinking, drug use on the the health of pregnant women and their unborn children. Health care providers in the HIV setting have not typically included the discussion of safer sex or disclosure with patients, yet recent research estimates that the majority of people living with HIV are sexually active, and 30-40 percent of those who are sexually active report having had unprotected anal or vaginal sex. Additionally, HIV-positive patients continue to present with sexually transmitted infections. The HIV prevention message delivered by the primary care provider is important, and that much more powerful when supported by other staff at the clinic.

For more information about the program or workshops please contact:

Maggie Hawkins, MPH
Ph:
E-mail: margareh

Jony Melrod Weiss, MPH
Ph:
E-mail: jweiss