Should Community Based Organizations Use PrEP and HIV Navigators? Does Your Organization Use PrEP and/or HIV Navigators? If So, Please Share Your Experiences by May 9th
NMAC study
NMAC's Capacity Building Division (Linking and Integrating Networks for Collaboration) is re-releasing its "National HIV and PrEP Navigator Landscape Assessment" through the Black AIDS Institute. We thank those who have previously completed this assessment and look forward to reading from those who will now be sharing their insights with NMAC. Our goal in conducting this nationwide assessment is to understand the challenges and successes experienced by HIV and/or PrEP navigators as well as gain feedback from organizations that already have such programs. In our experience working with various groups, questions always arise regarding the roles and responsibilities of navigators in HIV biomedical prevention, particularly whether or not PrEP navigators should be used by community-based organizations (CBOs).
For many, the response is that PrEP- and/or HIV navigators should be used by CBOs. Navigators can play an important role in linking and referring persons to services and following up with both HIV positive or negative persons. Within CBOs, navigators can escort consumers to appointments and help them with daily life issues like filling out insurance forms and completing paperwork related to their treatment or prescriptions. Therefore, it is not a question of if navigators "should" be used, but how many CBOs currently use navigators? If they are used at your organization, what services are they used for? Are they only called navigators or are they called by other names, such as community health workers?
Through your participation in this initial assessment, many things can happen. We can do the following:
1) Provide answers to many questions concerning the utilization of PrEP and HIV navigators.
2) Publicize the responses to increase awareness about the importance of HIV and PrEP navigators.
3) Advocate for you and your navigator program.
4) Develop programming that meets your needs so that NMAC can better serve you and you can best serve your clients.
Remember, the deadline for completion of the assessment is May 9th. Just click the link <https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/national2017assessment> to get started.
For more information or if you need any assistance, contact