Roles and Challenges of Outreach Workers in HIV Clinical and Support Programs Serving Young Racial/Ethnic Minority Men Who Have Sex with Men

Abstract

The federal government has established rapid identification, linkage, and engagement in medical care of HIV-positive individuals as a high priority. Outreach workers and other linkage coordinators are identified as key personnel in implementing this policy. Young racial/ethnic minority men who have sex with men (MSM) have relatively high and growing rates of HIV infection and would benefit from the services of outreach workers. In this article, we describe the characteristics of outreach workers employed by eight demonstration sites participating in the federal Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Young MSM of Color Initiative, the linkage and retention models used by the sites, and the number of outreach/ linkage contacts and individuals referred to HIV care. We summarize rates of retention of outreach workers in employment, factors associated with worker turnover, and costs associated with their replacement. We also summarize the experiences of demonstration sites in employing and retaining outreach workers and improving their performance. The insights of outreach workers are reported regarding the challenges they experienced while conducting outreach. Recommendations from demonstration site project managers and outreach workers are offered to improve workplace performance and job retention. Outreach and retention strategies, as well as lessons learned in employing outreach workers, are useful to programs serving young racial/ethnic minority MSM and other HIV-positive groups.

Development and Preliminary Pilot Testing of a Peer Support Text Messaging Intervention for HIV-Infected Black Men Who Have Sex With Men

“…In this project, termination of outreach workers due to misconduct and poor boundaries was high. 30 In the current study, there were no problems with mentor misconduct or poor boundaries, perhaps due to the careful selection and training of mentors. We established many boundaries, primarily to ensure the well-being and confidentiality of participants; however, these boundaries may not be necessary nor realistic outside of the context of a research study.…”

Effectiveness of peer-led interventions to increase HIV testing among men who have sex with men: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Eleven studies did not have HIV testing as the primary outcome (Duan et al, 2013; Elford, Bolding, & Sherr, 2004; Elford, Sherr, Bolding, Serle, & Maguire, 2002; Hallett, Brown, Maycock, & Langdon, 2007; Hidalgo et al, 2011; Hosek et al, 2015; Jaganath, Gill, Cohen, & Young, 2012; Kegeles, Hays, Pollack, & Coates, 1999; Subramanian et al, 2013; Yan et al, 2014). In two studies, the study population was not MSM (Gutierrez, McPherson, Fakoya, Matheou, & Bertozzi, 2010; Koech et al, 2014).…”

Dynamic social support networks of younger black men who have sex with men with new HIV infection

“…While effective, these programs are resource-taxing and may be difficult to support in the long-term (Hidalgo et al, 2011; Mugavero, Norton, & Saag, 2011). Harnessing existing social support networks of HIV-infected individuals offers a promising alternative, whereby the close confidants of a patient are recruited to enhance his or her adherence to care.…”