Brothers United

COMPREHENSIVE HIGH-IMPACT PREVENTION PROJECT: ENGAGING BLACK MSM IN THE INDIANAPOLIS, TGA - BLACK MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN (BMSM) ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV), ACCOUNTING FOR OVER HALF OF THE NEW HIV INFECTIONS AMONG MSM. BLACK MSM ARE ONE OF THE ONLY POPULATIONS THAT CONTINUE TO HAVE INCREASING RATES OF NEW HIV INFECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH DATA TRENDS IN INDIANA. BROTHERS UNITED, INCORPORATED DOING BUSINESS AS BU WELLNESS NETWORK IS LOCATED IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA WITHIN MARION COUNTY A JURISDICTION. THIS JURISDICTION IS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY HIV, AND THUS RECOGNIZED AS A PRIORITY GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION IN THE ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC: A PLAN FOR AMERICA. BU WELLNESS NETWORK PROPOSES HIV PREVENTION AND TESTING PROGRAMMING ACTIVITIES INDICATED WITHIN THE FOUR PILLARS: DIAGNOSE, PREVENT, TREAT, AND RESPOND. BU WELLNESS NETWORK WILL INCREASE ACCESS TO HIV TESTING, ENCOURAGE PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PREP) USAGE, DISTRIBUTE CONDOMS IN COMMUNITY SPACES, PROVIDE LINKAGE AND RETENTION IN CARE SERVICES, ENGAGE IN AND REFER TO PARTNER SERVICES, AND SUPPORT COORDINATED OUTBREAK RESPONSE EFFORTS WITH LOCAL AND STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS. THESE STRATEGIES WILL ULTIMATELY REDUCE HIV INCIDENCE, LEAD TO VIRAL SUPPRESSION, AND INCREASE HEALTH EQUITY AMONG BMSM IMPACTED BY HIV.

BU WELLNESS NETWORK PROPOSES BU-FIT (BU FACING IT TOGETHER), A PROGRAM THAT WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED IN PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES WHO ARE SUPPORTED IN HIV AND SUBSTANCE USE - BLACK MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN (BMSM) AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV). THESE GROUPS ARE THE ONLY POPULATIONS THAT CONTINUE TO HAVE INCREASING RATES OF NEW HIV INFECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. ADDITIONALLY, THE RATES OF HIV AMONG THESE GROUPS ARE EXACERBATED DUE TO SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND CHALLENGES WITH MENTAL HEALTH THAT ARE NOT ADEQUATELY ADDRESSED IN HEALTH CARE SETTINGS. BROTHERS UNITED, INCORPORATED DOING BUSINESS AS BU WELLNESS NETWORK IS LOCATED IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA WITHIN MARION COUNTY. THIS JURISDICTION IS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY HIV AND RECOGNIZED AS A PRIORITY GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION IN THE ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC: A PLAN FOR AMERICA. BU WELLNESS NETWORK WILL SERVE BMSM AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS LIVING IN MARION COUNTY, INDIANA WHO ARE IMPACTED BY HIV, SUBSTANCE MISUSE, AND INADEQUATE PSYCHOSOCIAL OR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. THE ORGANIZATION’S MISSION IS TO ENHANCE THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF BLACK COMMUNITIES IN INDIANA. THE MARION COUNTY 2020 EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE INDICATES THAT THERE WERE 199 NEW HIV DIAGNOSES IN THE INDIANAPOLIS, TRANSITIONAL GRANT AREA (TGA) IN 2020, AND OF THOSE 105 WERE BLACK. OF THE 199 NEW DIAGNOSES, 165 WERE IN MARION COUNTY, SPECIFICALLY. MALES ACCOUNTED FOR 79.9% (159) OF THE NEW DIAGNOSES, WITH MSM BEING THE PRINCIPAL RISK FACTOR WITH 47.7%. THERE WERE 93 TRANSGENDER PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AND 4 NEW DIAGNOSES AMONG THIS POPULATION. IN ADDITION, THERE WERE 13,045 CHLAMYDIA DIAGNOSES, 4,668 GONORRHEA, AND 345 EARLY SYPHILIS CASES; AND THESE STD CASES POTENTIALLY CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE HIV DIAGNOSES. THE INDIANAPOLIS, TGA IS 48.8% MALE AND 51.2% FEMALE. APPROXIMATELY 15.9% OF THE INDIANAPOLIS, TGA ARE BLACK NON-HISPANIC; HOWEVER, MARION COUNTY IS MORE DIVERSE AND HAS A POPULATION THAT IS 28% BLACK. BU WELLNESS NETWORK PROPOSES BU-FIT (BU FACING IT TOGETHER), A PROGRAM THAT WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED IN PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES WHO ARE SUPPORTED IN HIV AND SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION AND CARE BY PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE AND PATIENT-CENTERED SERVICES. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO UTILIZE EXISTING EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES TO ENSURE BMSM AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV, AT RISK FOR HIV ACQUISITION AND WHO MIGHT BE AT RISK FOR SUBSTANCE MISUSE HAVE ACCESS TO AN INTEGRATED, PATIENT-CENTERED SYSTEM OF CARE THAT IMPROVES THEIR OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLNESS. THIS FIVE-YEAR PROJECT AIMS TO SERVE 150 BMSM AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS IN MARION COUNTY, INDIANA TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING: INCREASE ACCESS TO SERVICES FOR BMSM AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS IMPACTED BY HIV AND SUBSTANCE MISUSE IN MARION COUNTY, INDIANA. INCREASE THE SERVICE UTILIZATION BY INCORPORATING EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES IN PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT PROGRAMMING FOR BMSM AND TRANSGENDER IN MARION COUNTY. IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR BMSM AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS IMPACTED BY HIV AND SUBSTANCE MISUSE IN MARION COUNTY, INDIANA. BU WELLNESS NETWORK WILL IMPLEMENT CLEAR, A CDC-ENDORSED EVIDENCED-BASED INTERVENTION WITH CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT AND PATIENT NAVIGATION. NOW, MORE THAN EVER, IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE AND COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTION AND CARE SERVICES. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY SERVICES THAT WILL LEAD OUR COMMUNITIES TO END THE EPIDEMICS.