Cross-disciplinary HIV Integrated Mental Health Support (CHIMES) Intervention

Young Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YB-GBMSM) are disproportionately impacted by HIV, with suboptimal rates of engagement across the HIV Continuum of Care (HIV-CoC). Mental health (MH) comorbidities contribute to poor HIV care engagement for many YB-GBMSM; however, effective treatment for these conditions is hindered by barriers including logistical challenges, medical mistrust, and MH stigma.

The Ryan White Care act supports integration of HIV and MH services; however, preliminary studies demonstrate low rates of MH referrals and MH care engagement among YB-GBMSM living with HIV, even in these ostensibly integrated care settings. The objective of this study is to develop and implement CHIMES (Cross-disciplinary HIV Integrated with Mental Health Support), a clinic- and provider-level intervention to improve HIV-MH care integration and MH care engagement among YB-GBMSM attending Ryan White clinics.

The rationale for this study is that efforts to improve integration of services, particularly if they are culturally tailored, are likely to increase MH and HIV care engagement for YB-GBMSM. The proposed study will pursue two specific aims: (1) to develop the CHIMES intervention; and (2) to conduct a hybrid type 2 implementation-effectiveness pilot trial of CHIMES in two Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)/Ryan White-funded clinics in Atlanta, Georgia - a city in the heart of the Southern HIV epidemic.

For the first aim, the researchers will work collaboratively with provider and patient stakeholders, adapt existing evidence-based interventions, and build on formative data to refine intervention content, informed by the Capability- Opportunity-Motivation-Behavior (COM-B) Model. For the second aim, the researchers will implement CHIMES in the two clinic settings and conduct a mixed-methods assessment in which continuous data collection informed by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework will be used to evaluate effectiveness and implementation processes.

The effectiveness of the CHIMES intervention will be measured by change in HIV and MH care engagement before, during, and after CHIMES implementation. The researchers will abstract clinic-level aggregate data to characterize change in HIV-CoC and MH care engagement outcomes for YB-GBMSM.