Abstract
This article describes a model of service for youth living with human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
and youth at high risk for HIV, based on the lessons learned from
a set of innovative service projects funded by the Health Resources
and Services Administration Special Projects of National Significance
(SPNS) Program. Although each project has a unique focus, all collectively
seek to enroll youth with HIV into care through new or existing HIV
service networks, and direct recruitment via street outreach and
other similar methods. The use of various outreach methods tends
to yield different patterns of engagement of youth in services. An
ideal approach may use a combination of complementary outreach methods.
Data at both the national and local levels point to five major elements
that capture the innovations of the collective service model: (a)
peer-youth information and dissemination; (b) peer-youth advisory
groups; (c) peer-youth outreach and support; (d) professional, tightly
linked medical social support networks; and (e) active case management
and advocacy, for individual clients as well as the programs themselves,
to link the various components together. One of the most important
factors in the model's success is that youth and professionals share
an equal partnership in all stages of program design, planning, and
implementation. Youth and professionals each share their expertise
in a dynamic process. In addition, active case management is crucial,
not only to ensure that clients receive needed services, but also
to ensure that the programs themselves run in a coordinated, tightly
linked way. Given needs of adolescent clients and existing adult-oriented
service networks, the use of active case management and the active
participation of youth in the services system are critical.
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