National Minority AIDS Council Building Healthier Communities

 

Click here to go to download the Treatment Adherence Peer Program Application.

Introduction 

The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) introduces the Treatment Adherence Peer Program (TAPP). TAPP provides capacity building assistance to eligible organizations implementing HIV peer programs to increase the self efficacy of the peers and clients, based on a Social Learning theoretical approach.  

 

Program Goals 

The Treatment Adherence Peer Program will increase an organization’s capacity to support its peer educators in making the transition to becoming treatment adherence counselors. The goals of TAPP include the following:

• To improve the capacity of HIV/AIDS service providers, peer counselors, and other para-professionals, to implement comprehensive HIV health literacy and treatment through self efficacy to enhance adherence
  
  

• To improve the knowledge, skills and ability of key heath care staff to educate clients about HIV/AIDS disease management, treatment and key factors that influence adherence
  
  

• To improve recruitment, retention and coordination of HIV positive hard to reach and high-risk populations into social and medical services 

Group Level Training Description 

The group level training is designed to empower all participants with strategies to retain clients into care. We will examine self efficacy as a component of peer role modeling to motivate change in HIV infected individuals. This training also provides administrators access to tools in order to build the capacity of their organization to sustain the peer program. Group level training components will cover the following:

• Navigating the health care system

• HIV/AIDS 101 and treatment updates

• Program Sustainability

• Program Supervision

• Stigma as it relates to HIV positive clients and CTR

• Effective client outreach and recruitment

• Peer development

• Social entrepreneurship

• Evaluation

This training targets both administrators and peers who provide services to those infected with HIV/AIDS. We will accept three people per organization, with a cap of ten organizations that can apply. We ask that one participant be an administrator i.e. social worker, case managers, program manager or director, and the other two participants, peer educators. In addition to the group level training, on-site technical assistance will be provided only in the particular areas stated below.

 

This is a 9 month longitudinal case study. Participating organizations will be evaluated and provided additional resources in order to implement the treatment adherence program and develop treatment adherence counselors.

 

CBA Provision

NMAC will provide capacity building assistance by hosting group level trainings and the provision of technical assistance. Applicants that have been accepted to participate in group level trainings will be eligible to request technical assistance within four weeks following the training.

 

Technical Assistance (TA) will be offered in the following areas:

• Teaching peers effective outreach and recruitment methods

• Introducing peers to working with multidisciplinary teams

• Implementing the peer program in your organizational strategic plan

• Teaching peers motivational interviewing, risk assessment and communication skills

• Peer Program supervision and management for administrators

• Teaching peers role-modeling, self efficacy, adherence behavior strategies

• Fiscal management and budgeting for peer programs

• Teaching peers boundaries and ethics

• Evaluating peer programs

• Social enterprising unrestricted dollars for peer programs

Treatment Adherence Peer Program Training Eligibility Criteria

• Must be a community-based organization, AIDS service organization, community-based clinic, social service organization, or faith-based organization

• 501©3 status required

• Located in the United States or Territories

• Organizations must take both tracks of capacity building assistance (organizational and peer) in order to participate

• Must have a clientele of HIV/AIDS consumers

• Organization must target racial ethnic minorities and/ or sexual minorities

• Organization must have willingness to participate in longitudinal case study

• Organizations must request technical assistance within four weeks after group level training

Application Process

Please complete on-line organizational application and submit to Melanie Graham via fax: (202) 483-1135 or e-mail: Mgraham@nmac.org.

 

Inquiries may be directed to Melanie Graham directly at (202) 483-6622 ext. 363.

 

After your full participation at the group level training, you will be asked to complete an organizational and peer assessment. These assessments will be used to determine an organizational capacity building assistance plan for your agency and peers. Technical assistance dates will be assigned. TA requests must be submitted within four weeks after group level training.

 

Within nine months from group level intervention, technical assistance, follow up training, a final evaluation will be conducted. When the TAPP trainings and technical assistance have been successfully completed, NMAC’s Treatment Adherence Peer certification will be provided.