SPNS/Fax: An Electronic Report from HRSA/HAB's SPNS Cooperative Agreements:
Volume 1, Issue 3 (May 18, 1996)

This document has been superceded by our Online Knowledge Base on Innovative Models of HIV/AIDS Care. Click here to access the Knowledge Base. Click here to access descriptions of 27 Innovative Models of HIV/AIDS Care and the lessons learned from these projects. SPNS/Fax was written, published, and distributed by fax by The Measurement Group between 1995 and 1998.

Information dissemination from 27 Innovative Models of HIV Care projects funded as Special Projects of National Significance by the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Introduction

Welcome to SPNS/Fax: An Electronic Report from HRSA/HAB's SPNS Cooperative Agreements. In each issue of SPNS/Fax, we will highlight findings from the HRSA Special Projects of National Significance Program Cooperative Agreements. The projects have been funded to develop innovative models of HIV/AIDS care. SPNS/Fax reports are distributed every two weeks by fax machine to all subscribers. All issues of SPNS/Fax are also available at this Web site. Due to slight differences in the media, issues distributed by fax machine may appear slightly different from those posted on this Web site, but the content is identical.

Health Initiatives for Youth Program Identifies Needs of Youth Living with HIV

Health Initiatives for Youth (HIFY) is a San Francisco based program dedicated to improving the health of young people. In Spring and Summer 1995, HIFY conducted a needs assessment of health and social service providers in the Bay Area counties of Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Sonoma. The purpose of the needs assessment was to identify service needs of Bay Area youth, and to gather information on four key areas: providers' knowledge and attitudes about working with HIV-affected youth; comfort level in working with youth populations; information needs; and perceived barriers to providing care. The needs assessment included a provider survey, face-to-face interviews with providers, and focus groups with youth.

This chart shows the responses of 174 Bay Area service providers who identified "barriers in your community to meeting the needs of adolescents and young adults." In addition, providers largely agreed that…

  • their agencies value collaboration;

  • youth with HIV have needs requiring specialized skills; and

  • staff training is an effective way to increase agency expertise in working with youth.

Providers expressed a need for…

  • specific training on laws regarding consent and confidentiality as they apply to young people; and

  • additional information about working with Native American, transgender, Asian/Pacific Islander, and immigrant youth populations.

In one-on-one interviews with 79 providers of youth services, providers frequently mentioned the following issues:

  • young people with HIV or those at high risk for HIV need HIV information, community support or a safe place, health information and appropriate medical care, access to services, and peer support;

  • youth face many dangers from HIV, other STDs, substance abuse pregnancy, violence, and parental abuse and neglect;

  • there are considerable gaps in the service system for youth, and many providers indicated they rely on collaboration, networking, and shared referrals to enhance the services available for youth living with HIV.

The majority of providers interviewed (65%) said they planned to increase their services for HIV positive and at risk youth.

Discussions with 64 youth for this needs assessment pointed out that…

  • youth concurred with the priorities and issues identified by providers who were interviewed;

  • youth specifically mentioned problems related to substance abuse, violence, and sex and sexuality;

  • young people agreed that an ideal service provider would listen sympathetically and attentively, and be trustworthy; and

  • it is often useful for provider agencies to have youth on staff.

HIFY plans to use the information from this needs assessment to provide targeted training, technical assistance, and other resources for youth- and HIV-service providers. For more information about the HIFY needs assessment, contact Ron Henderson at Health Initiatives for Youth, 1242 Market Street, Third floor, San Francisco, CA 94102; by email at hn5409@handsnet.org.

SPNS/Fax is produced by The Measurement Group–PROTOTYPES Evaluation and Dissemination Center (EDC). Editorial comments should be made to The Measurement Group at 5811A Uplander Way, Culver City, California 90230, 310.216.1051, 310.670.7735 (fax).
 

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