NASTAD Launches the Center for Innovation and Engagement

We here at NASTAD are thrilled to announce the launch of the Center for Innovation and Engagement (CIE) website! The site is geared towards equipping HIV providers with evidence-informed approaches to better engage and retain people living with HIV (PLWH) in care. 

CIE serves as a culmination of the collaboration between NASTAD, Northwestern University, Howard Brown Health Center, and Impact Marketing + Communications to identify some of the most effective evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions available and transform them into actionable tools, innovative frameworks, and adaptable resources. Our website showcases a myriad of innovative intervention how-to-guides that are “ready to replicate,” our process for selecting innovative approaches, and much more!

An example intervention that is available now is the Bilingual/Bicultural Care Team intervention. This intervention provides an opportunity to engage and retain Hispanic/Latinx adults with HIV by offering culturally and linguistically appropriate care services, leading to improved retention in HIV care and viral suppression. The intervention was modeled after a program developed by the Truman Medical Center (TMC) in Kansas City, Missouri during the years of 2005-2006. TMC experienced a significant increase in clients scheduling and keeping appointments, from a mean of 2.81 to 5.30 visits per year. The viral suppression rate among clients who met the criteria for ARV therapy increased by 31.5 percent.

There are many other interventions like this on the CIE website for you review right now, and we plan to add more over the next few months. Be sure to sign up for our listserv to stay in the know about our launch and the rollout of additional how-to-guides, videos, and supplementary resources.