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Amida Care, Inc.

Access to Care: AmidaConnect

New York City has one of the highest rates of new HIV/AIDS cases in the nation. The boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx comprise 64% of all HIV/AIDS cases in the State alone.

Special Projects Fund

Grantee Name

Amida Care, Inc.

Funding Area

Special Projects Fund

Publication Date

July 2013

Grant Amount

$75,000

Grant Date:

October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2012

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New York City has one of the highest rates of new HIV/AIDS cases in the nation. The boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx comprise 64% of all HIV/AIDS cases in the State alone.

Some HIV-positive New Yorkers experience complex health needs and face an array of barriers to treatment, including homelessness, poverty, racism, stigma, addiction, homophobia, mental illness, and/or incarceration. Thus, many HIV-positive New Yorkers view HIV/AIDS treatment as a lower priority when compared to more immediate needs.

In order to reach these difficult-to-access populations, Amida Care devised a plan to use mobile engagement teams (METs) in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx to work with individuals who are dually or triply diagnosed as HIV-positive and with co-occurring mental illness and/or substance use disorders. The METs built off a collaboration called AmidaCONNECT, which attempted to combine access to primary care for HIV-positive New Yorkers who were not receiving treatment with a stronger service system. Amida Care received a three-year Social Innovation Fund grant from AIDS United, in the amount of $395,000 per year, to fund this project.

In 2011, NYHealth awarded Amida Care a $75,000 matching grant to support the initial enrollment period of the three-year initiative.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Enrolled a total of 312 Amida Care members in the project, with all patients identifying either a mental health or a substance use need, and some identifying both;
  • Ensured that of the patients enrolled, 73% had an HIV primary care visit within the first 30 days of enrollment, and 83% had a visit at some point after program enrollment;
  • Provided comprehensive case management assessments and service plans to all patients; and
  • Prescribed antiretroviral medication to 85% of patients enrolled in the project.
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