HIV Prevention Care and Treatment Project

The goal of "HIV Prevention, Care, and Treatment" is to support El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama in reaching the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 95-95-95 targets by 2030 such that 95% of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 95% of people living with HIV who know their HIV-positive status will access treatment, and 95% of people on treatment will have suppressed viral loads, resulting in epidemic control.

The activity also seeks to promote innovative approaches to increase the demand for quality services by addressing structural barriers such as stigma and discrimination and efforts to increase treatment uptake and adherence for improved quality of life.

GEOGRAPHICAL AND DEMOGRAPHICAL APPROACH

At a regional level (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama), the project tailors its approach to reach key populations (KPs), priority populations (PPs), and other high risk individuals (HRI), especially men who have sex with men (MSM) and other men at-risk, transgender women (TGW), people living with HIV (PLHIV), their sexual contacts and partners, pregnant people living with HIV, adolescents and elderly with HIV, and other HRI who belong to other population groups (migrants, certain indigenous and ethnic groups, etc.).

CONTEXT AND CHALLENGES

The project works to address the challenge of reducing the gaps in the three main pillars of the HIV cascade in Central America (diagnosis, linkage, and treatment adherence/viral load suppression), especially among highly vulnerable and stigmatized populations. The project works to integrate the private sector to the HIV response to provide high-quality prevention services that are friendly towards HRI, as well as to introduce and expand innovative services that reduce barriers, such as HIV self-testing and preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services through the private sector. Moreover, the project makes use of digital channels, social media, mobile phone apps and other virtual platforms to ensure that difficult access populations have HIV prevention information, referrals, and services. In parallel, the activity works closely with the Ministry of Health at various levels to ensure high quality care and treatment services for people living with HIV, including efforts to strengthen healthcare workers' capacity to provide equitable, high-quality and user-centered services and solutions that are integrated and respond to patient needs in their journey towards treatment adherence for sustained viral load suppression and improved health.

APPROACH AND RESULTS

The activity, implemented by PASMO as a local partner, with IntraHealth International Inc. and Population Services International (PSI) as sub-awardees, and in collaboration with local community-based and non-governmental organizations (CBOs/NGOs), seeks to strengthen HIV prevention, care, and treatment services for KPs and PPs while also seeking to promote innovative approaches to increase the demand for quality services by addressing structural barriers such as stigma and discrimination and efforts to increase treatment uptake and adherence for improved quality of life. This will be achieved through the following five strategic objectives:

• Increase access to and demand for health and HIV prevention services.
• Increase health and HIV treatment services with emphasis on testing, linkage, and supporting continuation and management of treatment services.
• Reduce community and facility-level stigma and discrimination.
• Conduct ongoing monitoring for decision-making and operational research to support the design and adaptation of activities.
• Implement the Optimize Performance and Quality (OPQ) methodology.