SPNS/Fax: An Electronic Report from HRSA/HAB's SPNS Cooperative Agreements:
Volume 3, Issue 11 (May 29, 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.

The Women's Intervention Program of the Well-Being Institute in Detroit, Michigan, is funded by HRSA/HAB's SPNS to improve access to care for women multiply-diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, and mental illness. A key element of this project is connecting underserved women with needed healthcare services. The concept of "hyperlinking" – an Internet term describing a direct linkage to various Internet sites – also applies to the active linkage of women to needed services by the Women's Intervention Program. As it is used in the context of the Internet, "hyperlinking" allows the user to bypass cumbersome and technically complex access procedures to directly access desired information. Similarly, Well-Being Institute staff nurses – using personal contacts at key health care clinics – "hyperlink" clients into appointment slots by using special contacts and procedures, thereby obtaining the most appropriate care for the women as quickly as possible.¹ Transportation is one of many strategies used by the Women’s Intervention Program to connect with women and engage them in care.

The transportation provided by the Women’s Intervention Program is more than a taxi service; van drivers are members of the same community as the clients and are trained to gain the women’s trust. For the population of multiply-diagnosed women served by this program, the likelihood of accessing needed healthcare is greatly enhanced by the provision of sensitive, appropriate ancillary services such as this specialized transportation component. Between October 1996 and October 1997, a total of 4,586 transports were given to Women's Intervention Program clients.        

Does providing transportation improve access to care for these women? In the case of the Women’s Intervention Program, the answer is "yes." A major project outcome has been the active linkage of women to services through the program’s transportation component. Women not previously connected to medical care received more transportation than did women who had previously accessed services (t =1.98, p =.026, one-tailed; see chart to the right). Data also support the project’s effectiveness in helping the women access mental health services: the correlation between depression and transportation to counseling services was .28 (p<.05).

The Well-Being Institute has successfully used a service model to reduce barriers for a population which otherwise would be likely to fall through the cracks of the healthcare service delivery system.

For more information about this project, contact Geoffrey A. D. Smereck, A.B., J.D. or Marcia Andersen, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., C.S., Well-Being Institute, 216 S. State Street, Suite 4, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, 734.913.4300.