This case study provides an overview of the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) work with CAI’s TAP-in project, including TAP-in partner UCLA and the Kentucky Primary Care Association (KPCA) in developing an EHE strategic plan to improve HIV testing and service delivery and uptake in Kentucky.
The approach integrated routine opt-out HIV testing (ROOT), a cost-effective, evidence-based approach to normalize HIV testing and enhanced linkage to care for PWH. The program, which incorporated national standards and recommendations for HIV testing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care, was rolled out at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs)—urban and rural safety net providers that deliver health services and coordinated wraparound and specialty care regardless to clients regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.
The program was piloted at Grace Health, a faith-based FQHC with 13 rural clinic locations in Appalachia in Eastern Kentucky, resulting in improved care coordination and a 68.2% increase in HIV testing. Similar results were observed after implementation at four additional FQHCs, with one site identifying eight persons with HIV.
