Outreach Services

Service Standard

Outreach Services Service Standard print version

Subcategories Service Units
Outreach Services (Outreach for linkage to services) Per encounter with client previously unlinked to care

 

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Description:

The Outreach Services category has as its principal purpose identifying people living with HIV who either do not know their HIV status or who do know their status but are not currently in care. As such, Outreach Services provide the following activities:

  • Identification of people who do not know their HIV status 
  • Linkage or re-engagement of people living with HIV into HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) services, including the provision of information about health care coverage options.

Because Outreach Services are often provided to people who do not know their HIV status, some activities within this service category will likely reach people who are HIV negative. When these activities identify someone living with HIV, eligible clients should be linked to HRSA RWHAP services.

Outreach Services must:

  • Use data to focus on reaching people with HIV who:
    • Have never been tested and are undiagnosed
    • Have been tested and diagnosed with HIV, but have not received their test results
    • Have been tested and know their HIV diagnosis but are not in medical care
  • Be conducted in places where there is a high probability that people with HIV will be identified
  • Be delivered in coordination with local and state HIV prevention outreach programs to avoid duplication of effort.

Outreach Services may be provided through community and public awareness activities (e.g., posters, flyers, billboards, social media, TV, or radio announcements) that meet the requirements above and include explicit and clear links to and information about available HRSA RWHAP services. Outreach Services may include case findings and client recruitment through street outreach.
 

Program Guidance:

Outreach Services are provided to an individual or in small group settings and cannot be delivered anonymously, as some information is needed to facilitate any necessary follow-up and care. Outreach Services must not include outreach activities that exclusively promote HIV prevention education.
 

Limitations:

Recipients and subrecipients may use Outreach Services funds for HIV testing when RWHAP resources are available. However, testing must not supplant other existing funding.
 

Universal Standards:

Services providers for Outreach Services must follow HRSA/DSHS Universal Standards 1-46 and 172-175.
 

Service Standards and Measures:

The following standards and measures are guides to improving health outcomes for people with HIV throughout the State of Texas within the Ryan White Part B and State Services Program.

Standard Measure

Linkage: People identified with HIV who do not know their status will be referred to a RWHAP or non-RWHAP service provider to ease the transition to medical services. Outreach models vary by provider, but outreach services should increase available access points to care. People identified with HIV who do not know yet their diagnosis may be linked to the following services:

  • Early Intervention Services
  • Medical Case Management
  • Non-Medical Case Management
  • Outpatient/Ambulatory Health Services
  • Referral for Health Care and Support Services

Outreach services include linkage follow-up to confirm that people identified with HIV attended a medical appointment.
  1. Percentage of people identified with HIV who did not know their status with documentation of a referral to an HIV medical provider.
     
  2. Percentage of people referred to an HIV medical provider with documentation of follow-up by outreach staff to confirm if the client attended the medical appointment or not.

Re-engagement: People identified with an HIV diagnosis who know their status but are not currently in care will be referred to RWHAP or non-RWHAP services to ease access to appropriate medical care and obtain needed support services. 

Outreach services include follow-up to ensure the people identified with an HIV diagnosis attended a medical appointment.
  1. Percentage of people who are aware of their HIV diagnosis but are not in care with documentation of a referral to an HIV medical service provider.
     
  2. Percentage of people who were referred to an HIV medical provider with documentation of follow-up by outreach staff to confirm if the client attended the medical appointment or not.

 

References

Division of Metropolitan HIV/AIDS Programs, HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB). Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) National Monitoring Standards for RWHAP Part A Recipients. Health Resources and Services Administration, June 2022.

Division of State HIV/AIDS Programs, HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB). Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) National Monitoring Standards for RWHAP Part B Recipients. Health Resources and Services Administration, June 2022.

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Policy Notice 16-02: Eligible Individuals & Allowable Uses of Funds. Health Resources & Services Administration, October 2018.

HIV/STD Program

HIV/STD Program

HIV Medical and Support Service Categories