Webinar 5 — Reaching Our Clients: What Works in Community Connection, System Linkages, and Access to Care

October 16, 2017

Insights on working with hard-to-reach populations in rural and urban clinics, from HRSA SPNS demonstration sites. Presenters walked through best practices, highlighted key takeaways and lessons learned, and answered questions about replication.

Featured Presenters and Interventions

State Bridge Counselors, NC LINK Project

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Presenter: Jenna Donovan, MPH

Jenna Donovan received her BA in Biology from the University of Oregon and her MPH, with a focus on epidemiology and biostatistics, from Oregon Health and Science University. Before Ms. Donovan began working in the field of HIV/AIDS in 2014, she focused on genomic research and genetic determinants of disease. She worked for the North Carolina Department of Public Health, Communicable Disease Branch as the epidemiologist and evaluator for NC LINK for 2 years. Ms. Donovan currently works on population health in Portland, OR.

Ms. Donovan discussed her work with the NC LINK Project, where the primary role of the State Bridge Counselors was to increase the number of people with HIV engaged in consistent care by creating a system of linkages along the HIV care continuum in North Carolina.

Patient Navigation

Virginia Department of Health
Presenter: Kate M. Gilmore, MPH

Kate Gilmore has worked in the field of HIV/AIDS for the past 10 years and has experience with both international and domestic HIV/AIDS programs and data management. Between 2011-2016, Ms. Gilmore served as both the Project Coordinator and the Data Manager for the SPNS Systems Linkages and Access to Care Initiative, while working with providers to develop and implement models to link and retain people with HIV in care and evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions. Ms. Gilmore is currently an Analyst in the Division of Disease Prevention at Virginia’s Department of Health.

Ms. Gilmore discussed the Patient Navigation Intervention, which was one of four system linkage interventions implemented by Virginia’s Department of Health. The goals of this intervention were to address systemic barriers, increase linkages, re-engagement to care, and viral suppression for people with HIV. This intervention also ensured clients had access to community resources for self-management and long-term care. Ms. Donovan shared valuable lessons regarding program sustainability and replication.