Stakeholder Thoughts about Serving on the Panel
Stakeholders expressed hopes of increased collaboration between clinicians, agency representatives, and PLWH and felt that their participation in the project might lead to increased resources for PLWH (Table 3).
Table 3. Hopes, Fears, and Ideals of the Getting to Zero Community Engagement Panel
Hopes
|
Fears
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Ideals
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Collaboration
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Delays interfering with progress
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Ways of working
|
Shared space, ideas,
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COVID and time between
|
Thinking outside the box
|
expertise
|
meetings
|
Better collaboration
|
Increased resources
|
Who makes up the panel
|
Panel outcomes
|
More funding
|
Lack of diversity
|
Reduce stigma
|
Personal development
|
‘Same player’ burn-out
|
Influence policy
|
Capitalize on increased
|
Not comfortable sharing thoughts
|
Increase services
|
awareness due to COVID
|
Bias affecting the panel
|
Retain PLWH in care
|
Panel outcomes
|
Panel outcomes
|
Improve patient
|
Use time wisely
|
Results not disseminated quickly
|
communication
|
Meaningful participation
|
No new solutions emerge
|
Connect agencies with
|
Meaningful outcomes
|
Panel not heard by researchers
Known barriers unchanged
|
resources (i.e., funding,
guidance with vulnerable populations)
|
In fact, their participation did seem to lead to these benefits. Stakeholders later noted that Jams enabled easy information flow, providing everyone involved with a broad range of information. Multiple stakeholders asked to photograph Jam output/products and asked us to share meeting notes so that they could use the information for their own agency-related work.
Stakeholder fears centered on the impact that COVID-19 might have on meaningful collaboration, as well as other delays that might interfere with panel progress. Indeed, virtual versus in-person meetings did limit participation of many stakeholders. Lack of panel diversity was also a concern, as was a fear of poor panel outcomes (e.g., non-dissemination, barriers unchanged). Stakeholders offered ideas for working together for better collaboration and ‘outside the box’ thinking, with ideal outcomes to include reduced stigma, policy changes, and increased resources.
When interviewing inactive stakeholders, they expressed their desire to attend sessions but stated that their schedules make it difficult. They suggested more advanced notice of upcoming Jams with frequent reminders in a variety of formats (e.g., email, text, and mailers). Interviewees also expressed that in-person meetings and more clarity about compensation would increase motivation to attend. In response, RJ now sends early and frequent Jam reminders that include a clear statement of the compensation to be provided. Stakeholders’ preferred meeting locations were within proximity to downtown and to bus lines. As such, each of our in-person meetings met these criteria. Importantly, stakeholders expressed keen interest in learning about our findings to date, including how we responded to their prior feedback; and expressed an appreciation for the research team’s teachability, suggesting that we continue to listen, ask questions, and take their feedback seriously. This feedback, in addition to revised COVID-19 guidelines, led us to host our first in-person Jam, during which the research team shared findings back to stakeholders and solicited additional feedback.
Stakeholders conveyed concern that the panel was missing individuals newly HIV diagnosed; bias may result from having a subgroup of PLWH all of whom were diagnosed five-plus years ago. They suggested that recruiting these individuals might be difficult due to fear of participation (e.g., being ‘outed’), internal stigma, or being unable to participate due to excess time spent searching for resources. Concerns also included ‘same player’ burnout, because so many stakeholders participate in other HIV prevention and treatment efforts. These concerns led to discussion of methods our team can use to increase diversity of the stakeholder panel. Despite diversity of the panel in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, and member type, stakeholders reported concern that the panel does not represent the cultural mentality held by various PLWH. The mentality surrounding poverty was discussed in depth. For example, stakeholders offered that a PLWH in poverty and lacking resources may engage differently than someone who has never, at least not recently, experienced poverty. Early (childhood) trauma was also suggested as a mechanism behind insecurity and a reluctance to request assistance or to trust others. Ethnic culture, including family and spirituality, were also discussed, as some cultures are less open to others about discussing physical and/or mental health or are more stigmatized towards PLWH.
Findings Informing HIV Research
Mobility/Migration: Stakeholders agreed that PLWH seek good services, even moving long distances to access them, but that they often need to live near bus lines to access care. A number of factors may push PLWH from their homes, however, including stigma or violence, financial struggles or eviction, an inability to safely navigate one’s home, or a change in relationship status. These and similar reasons for a move equated to ‘forced mobility,’ which was unanimously seen as a risk factor for poor engagement in HIV care. Stakeholders agreed that a move might also serve as a protective factor for engagement in care, and that it depends on the reason for moving, financial status, and how well the move was planned. For instance, when a move results in enhanced social support, better healthcare, or safer or more stable housing, a move was seen as a protective factor. Regardless of the reason for a move, stakeholders agreed that researching access to medical and support services when planning a move could prevent lapses in care, and that the amount of time one had lived with HIV was a crucial factor based on developed relationships with providers and knowledge of navigating the system of care. Information gleaned from stakeholders led us to expand some data sources, to explore the acquisition of others, and to more deeply examine the contexts contributing to mobility and migration, including reasons for forced mobility. Specifically, we expanded to statewide Medicaid data, leveraged access to Enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System (eHARS) data for the full 10-county Ryan White Part A TGA, are integrating newly acquired Indiana eviction data, and are exploring the use of unemployment data. The newly added data and prioritization of the contexts of a move led to a need to hire a new data analyst. When doing so, we prioritized experience in geographic data and research. We are also considering time elements for future mobility analyses, including time since diagnosis, time spent retained in care prior to the move (a proxy for system navigation experience), and date of last HIV health care (a proxy for last provider contact).
Neighborhood Characteristics and Spatial Relationships: Stakeholders agree that crime, poor SDOH indicators (e.g., unemployment, evictions), and lack of access to nutritious food and healthcare were among the harmful characteristics of a neighborhood (Table 4).
Table 4. Harmful and Advantageous Neighborhood Characteristics Identified by the Getting to Zero Community Engagement Panel
Harmful Characteristics
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Advantageous Characteristics
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High crime, drug use, domestic violence
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Care centers/clinics
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High number of immigrants
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Church pantries
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High prevalence of mental health issues
|
Churches
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Lacking convenient access to healthcare
|
HIV care
|
Lacking convenient access to nutritious foods
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Mental health treatment centers
|
Lacking reliable public transportation
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Pantries
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Low access to childcare
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Progressive policies (ex. Reproductive health care)
|
Low car and/or phone ownership
|
Public transportation
|
Low income/High unemployment
|
Public transportation for healthcare needs
|
Low or no use of available services
|
Ryan White supportive services
|
Low provider follow-up
|
Shopping centers
|
Neighborhoods that are declining
|
Small malls
|
Neighborhoods with high evictions/mobility
|
|
Rural areas
|
|
Advantageous characteristics included access to medical care, social and spiritual support, public transportation, and more. The importance of in-person healthcare was discussed, with distance and poor public transportation cited as reasons that some PLWH fall out of care. The idea of moving to access such services re-emerged. Access to a good social support system was also important for the prevention of isolation. This was a particular concern for older PLWH who had a distinct experience with HIV, with concern that some even discontinue medications due to isolation and loneliness. We worked with stakeholders to identify the physical locations of resources necessary to PLWH throughout Marion County. The research team will also integrate neighborhood characteristics and resources into future studies of mobility, migration, healthcare utilization, and HIV outcomes.
Social Services: Stakeholders reviewed preliminary findings of Medicaid enrollment continuity and health outcomes among PLWH. Stakeholders agreed that continuous Medicaid enrollment improves access to care but said this often requires assistance applying and/or recertifying for coverage. Several stakeholders relayed firsthand experience of coverage gaps caused by a missed application deadline due to illness and/or the convoluted and confusing process. Stakeholders encouraged us to consider people with “emergency services only” enrollment as separate from those with other types of enrollment because these individuals are effectively uninsured. This feedback informed the methods we used in recent research on the impact of Medicaid enrollment discontinuity on HIV outcomes [29].
Stakeholders encouraged us to consider social services not already utilized by our team. Access to Ryan White services was prioritized, as were programs to assist PLWH who are unable to work. As a result, we are exploring options to access Ryan White CAREWare data to evaluate the interaction of Parts A/B/C coverage with other correlates of HIV health outcomes. We are also exploring unemployment data for inclusion in future analyses. Stakeholders identified housing assistance, food pantries, medical transportation, and help obtaining Americans with Disabilities Act-approved accessibility equipment as important to PLWH. For this reason, we are exploring sources of housing assistance data. Food pantries and medical transportation are fragmented in Central Indiana; however, we are considering CAREWare as a source of this data for those enrolled in the Ryan White Part A program that provides these services.
Behavioral Health Care and/or Incarceration: Stakeholders were surprised to learn that an arrest and comorbid mental health diagnosis led to better health outcomes compared to PLWH without an arrest or mental health diagnosis [30]. Their surprise dissipated upon learning that these findings were explained by increased care utilization, likely from accessibility to various correctional system programs (e.g., Behavioral Court). Stakeholders suggested that incarceration alone can improve HIV outcomes due to increased access to structured care. Mental health and substance use disorder became key points of discussion. There was overwhelming agreement that behavioral health is highly impactful to HIV care outcomes, while also grossly underdiagnosed. Some PLWH do not seek out behavioral health services, while others seek care from private providers who may not communicate with other providers and/or feed data into larger systems (i.e., health information exchange). Stakeholder suggestions included improving care coordination between HIV and behavioral health care providers and agency workers. They also suggested evaluation of the timing of behavioral health diagnoses and/or incarceration in relation to HIV diagnosis or care outcomes of interest.
Local Resources: Stakeholders identified needs and available resources in three broad areas. First, important sources of information to help PLWH find and research medical and behavioral health needs included libraries, Internet and social media, support people and groups, and churches. Second, physical resources important for PLWH were food pantries and delivery services, transportation and housing services, help obtaining Americans with Disabilities Act-approved accessibility equipment, education providers (e.g., academic institutions, back-to-work programs), and organizations providing second-hand items (e.g., clothing, household goods). Third, healthcare resources included medical transportation, help navigating medical needs, access to medical and substance use treatment providers, insurance navigation, telehealth, HIV/AIDS Service Organizations, and Ryan White services. Stakeholders indicated local resources meeting these needs directly onto maps (Figure 8). We plan to integrate these resources and other neighborhood characteristics into future studies to evaluate their impact on HIV care outcomes.
Case Manager Alerts: We asked stakeholders to explore when, and for what reason(s), they would advocate for reaching out to a patient or client based on elements of data used in our research, including electronic health records, Medicaid claims, eHARS, incarceration, and address data. Whether an individual was receiving regular HIV care was the most important consideration; however, because not all HIV providers report to the state’s health information exchange, the use of electronic health records prevents comprehensive coverage of alerts. Public health use of eHARS was considered the most straightforward for alerts because it is a complete record of HIV labs and because MCPHD’s RWHSP already employs personnel who conduct outreach to PLWH who have fallen out of care. We learned from RWHSP stakeholders that outreach sometimes occurs months after an individual falls out of care, because of the retrospective method of reporting retention in care currently in use. We also learned that some PLWH reported for outreach are healthy individuals with undetectable viral loads who are required, by their physician, to receive only one viral load test per year. This leads to time wasted by outreach personnel. Because one of our research team members has extensive eHARS expertise and a trusted relationship with the RWHSP, and the RWHSP director is one of our active stakeholders, we were able to engage in an implementation project to leverage eHARS data to proactively generate alerts to identify PLWH who do not have a recent undetectable viral load and who are within 30-60 days of falling out care.
Stakeholders also identified additional data sources that could be useful in alerting case managers to situations of concern, including a mental health or substance use disorder (i.e., Indiana’s Data Assessment Registry for Mental Health & Addiction), HIV medication adherence (i.e., CAREWare), and data indicating a forced move (i.e., eviction data). Figure 5 illustrates the decision-making process stakeholders endorsed.
Dissemination
In November 2023, we collaborated with stakeholders to develop and co-present our engagement methods at the Analysis to Action Health Equity Symposium [31]. We shared information about why we work with stakeholders, how we recruited them, our HCD approach, and how stakeholder input has enriched and changed our research. Three stakeholders attended and shared their experiences throughout the project. Attendees were interactive during the session, presenting the research team and stakeholders with questions. Attendees were most interested in stakeholders’ experience and in how we recruited and engaged nearly 50 stakeholders for a five-year project. This manuscript is an expansion of that presentation. Stakeholders worked with us to develop the content of, and to co-author, this manuscript, leading to robust discussion of the strengths and limitations of our work together.