Office of Minority Health

Grantee: Cardea Center for Health and Human Services
Austin, TX 78723
Project: Minority Community HIV/AIDS Partnership 
Amount: $600,000
Grant Period: 2010-2013

Project Description | Key Program Findings | Related Goals

Project Description
Cardea’s services include training and continuing education, organizational development, and evaluation and research to help their clients provide health services. As part of the Minority Community HIV/AIDS Partnership project, Cardea worked with the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) and Texas A&M University (Kingsville) (TAMUK) to provide sexual health services. The purpose of this project was to address the disproportionate prevalence of HIV/AIDS as well as the propensity toward late HIV/AIDS diagnoses among Hispanic populations. The project targeted Hispanics ages 18 to 25 attending UTB and TAMUK, and addressed the lack of HIV/AIDS testing, and gender and culturally appropriate health materials.

Cardea worked with both campuses, UTB and TAMUK, to implement a three-pronged approach of 1) training and development, 2) HIV testing and creating a supportive campus environment, and 3) peer education. The comprehensive HIV prevention programs consisted of gender-specific, culturally appropriate group peer education; condom distribution; HIV testing recruitment; and referrals for services. The intended outcomes were: 1) increased HIV testing among students; 2) increased number of students accessing care; 3) decreased time between positive diagnosis and accessing follow-up care; 4) improved knowledge, attitudes and skills related to HIV prevention; 5) increased access to free and confidential HIV testing; 6) increased access to condoms; and 7) an improved coordinated referral network.

Pre- and post-intervention surveys were administered to measure HIV-related knowledge, behaviors and attitudes towards sexual health. At each group intervention, surveys were collected and activity reports were completed by peer educators. Participants in the Women 4 Women retreat who voluntarily provided their email addresses for further contact were surveyed one month after the final retreat. Six focus groups were also conducted with students at each campus to obtain information about the effectiveness of HIV prevention efforts on their campuses. Peer educators were also administered two surveys to obtain feedback on the program.

Key Program Findings Reported throughout the Grant Period

• Increased HIV knowledge. One-time group education sessions resulted in increased HIV knowledge from pre-/post-tests as demonstrated by the increase in mean score on the HIV knowledge scale (N=1,013; mean score increased from 12.39 to 14.3 and was statistically significant). Women 4 Women retreats also increased HIV knowledge (N=90; mean score increased from 11.01 to 14.3 and was statistically significant)
• Increased HIV access knowledge. From pre-/post-tests (one-time group education sessions), there was a 21.7 percent increase (N=1,563) in participants knowing where to get testing services on campus. Women 4 Women retreats showed similar results; there was a 27.8 percent (N=148) increase in knowledge of HIV testing services on campus as a result of the retreats.
• Increased HIV testing and serostatus knowledge. 939 students were tested and provided their results. Zero students tested positive.
• Behavior modification. There was a 16.9 percent increase (N=1,550) and an 11.6 percent increase (N=147) in plans to get tested in the next six months as a result of the group education and the Women 4 Women retreats, respectively.
• Increased campus capacity. Four staff members at TAMUK and UTB were trained on HIV testing and counseling skills. Each campus also developed protocols to provide free HIV testing onsite.
• Increased condom availability. There were 12 new condom distribution sites at UTB and five at TAMUK. Prior to the grant, there were no permanent distribution sites on campus. Over the three years, over 20,000 condoms were distributed from all distribution sites.

Identified Best Practice

• Leveraged resources and partnerships. UTB and TAMUK established on-campus partnerships to provide HIV prevention education through a required freshman course and through residential halls and athletics departments, respectively.  TAMUK institutionalized condom distribution by having the Student Government Association pass a referendum requiring Student Health and Wellness to identify the condom brand and style preferred by students and purchase $3,500 worth of condoms. TAMUK also plans to incorporate the HIV prevention program into their substance abuse prevention program. TAMUK also established a new partnership with Women’s and Men’s Health Services to continue to provide weekly free HIV testing on campus, training for peer educators and HIV testing at campus-wide events.

Related Goals

National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities

• Awareness: Increase awareness of the significance of health disparities, their impact on the nation, and the actions necessary to improve health outcomes for racial, ethnic and underserved populations
• Cultural and Linguistic Competency: Improve cultural and linguistic competency and the diversity of the health-related workforce
• Data, Research and Evaluation: Improve data availability and coordination, utilization, and diffusion of research and evaluation outcomes
• Health System and Life Experience: Improve health and health care outcomes for racial, ethnic and underserved populations
• Leadership: Strengthen and broaden leadership for addressing health disparities at all levels

Healthy People 2020 Objectives and Sub-objectives

• HIV-11: Increase the proportion of persons surviving more than 3 years after a diagnosis with AIDS
• HIV-12: Reduce deaths from HIV infection
• HIV-13: Increase the proportion of people living with HIV who know their serostatus
• HIV-14.4: Increase the proportion of adolescents and young adults who have been tested for HIV in the past 12 months
• HIV-17.1: Increase the proportion of sexually active unmarried females aged 15 to 44 years who use condoms
• HIV-17.2: Increase the proportion of sexually active unmarried males aged 15 to 44 years who use condoms
• HIV-3: Reduce the rate of HIV transmission among adolescents and adults
• HIV-4: Reduce the number of new AIDS cases among adolescents and adults
• HIV-5: Reduce the number of new AIDS cases among adolescent and adult heterosexuals
• HIV-6: Reduce the number of new AIDS cases among adolescent and adult men who have sex with men
• STD-6.1: Reduce gonorrhea rates among females aged 15 to 44 years
• STD-6.2: Reduce gonorrhea rates among males aged 15 to 44 years
• STD-7.1: Reduce sustained domestic transmission of primary and secondary syphilis among females
• STD-7.2: Reduce sustained domestic transmission of primary and secondary syphilis among males