title: Engaging African and Caribbean Immigrants in HIV Testing and Care in a Large US City: Lessons Learned from the African Diaspora Health Initiative.
abstract: The lifting in 2010 of the HIV entry ban eliminated an access point for HIV testing of the foreign-born. The African Diaspora Health Initiative (ADHI) was developed to examine alternative pathways to testing for African and Caribbean persons. The ADHI consists of Clinics Without Walls (CWW) held in community settings. HIV testing is offered to participants along with hypertension and diabetes screening. A survey is administered to participants. Descriptive data were analyzed using SAS 9.2. Between 2011 and 2015, 4152 African and Caribbean individuals participated in 352 CWW. Participants were mostly (67.7 %) African. HIV rates were lowest in Caribbean women (0.4 %) and highest in Caribbean men (8.4 %). Efforts to engage African and Caribbean communities in HIV testing are important given the elimination of the HIV entry ban and continued immigration to the US from areas of higher prevalence. The ADHI offers a successful model of engagement.
authors.affiliation: Ambulatory Health Services, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, 500 South Broad Street, Suite 360, Philadelphia, PA, 19146, USA. hkwakwa@aol.com.
authors.forename: Helena A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kwakwa
authors.affiliation: AIDS Care Group, Sharon Hill, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Rahab
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wahome
authors.affiliation: African Cultural Alliance of North America, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Djalika S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Goines
authors.affiliation: African Cultural Alliance of North America, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Voffee
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jabateh
authors.affiliation: Ambulatory Health Services, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, 500 South Broad Street, Suite 360, Philadelphia, PA, 19146, USA.
authors.forename: Arraina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Ambulatory Health Services, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, 500 South Broad Street, Suite 360, Philadelphia, PA, 19146, USA.
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bessias
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Flanigan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D044383:Black People; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000208:ethnology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D001741:Black or African American
keywords: African; Caribbean; HIV; Screening; US