The University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston gets $500K more for its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance grant

Hiv education, awareness, referral, and treatment of substance use disorders (hearts) at uthealth - the hiv education, awareness, referral and treatment for substance use disorders at uthealth (hearts@uthealth) program will provide integrated substance use disorders (sud) treatment and hiv prevention services for racial or ethnic minority adults who are at risk for or living with hiv. Hearts@uthealth will provide these inclusive, culturally- and trauma-informed treatment and prevention services in harris county, tx, one of the jurisdictions identified as a locality hardest hit by the hiv epidemic. The program is housed within the center for neurobehavioral research on addiction (cnra) at The University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston (uthealth). Hearts@uthealth proposes to collaborate with uthealth's infectious disease clinic, the association for the advancement of mexican americans (aama), aids foundation houston (afh), and avenue 360 to provide culturally appropriate and evidence-based services to 80 participants each year (for a total of 400 unique individuals). The overarching goal of the program is to reduce problematic substance use, increase the number of individuals aware of their hiv status, and slow the transmission of hiv among racial and ethnic minority individuals in the houston area. Activities in the program will be aligned with samhsa's overall purpose of increasing engagement in care for racial and ethnic minority individuals with sud and/or co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders (cod) who are at risk for or living with hiv. Program components will include delivery of evidence based treatments for sud and cod; hiv and viral hepatitis testing, referrals and linkages to hiv medical care, and referrals and linkages to prep care. The goals of the program are to: goal 1: increase the availability of sud treatment for members of racial and ethnic minority groups who have problematic substance use, sud, or cod and who are at risk for or living with hiv; goal 2: decrease the incidence and level of substance use among racial or ethnic minority individuals at risk for or living with hiv; goal 3: decrease the risk of new hiv and viral hepatitis infections among substance using ethnic minority individuals; goal 4: increase the number of racial and ethnic minority individuals who are aware of their hiv and viral hepatitis status; goal 5: increase knowledge about the cause, transmission, progression and prevention of hiv and other stds among clients; and goal 6: link individuals living with hiv or viral hepatitis to medical care and prevention services. Measurable objectives include number of participants enrolled in treatment per year, decreased substance use, decreased behaviors that increase hiv risk (e.g. Condomless sex and injection drug use), number of participants who are aware of their hiv status, and increased participant knowledge of causes of hiv transmission. All participants will be offered hiv testing, viral hepatitis testing, and case management services.