Substance Use and HIV Action for Reentry and Engagement.

The goal of this jail-based study is to test an intervention aimed at helping individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) who have HIV or are at high risk of contracting HIV maintain medications for managing or preventing HIV when transitioning back to the community. Approximately 75% of individuals in jail have SUD and a subset of this group either has HIV or is at risk of seroconversion. People living with HIV require antiretroviral medications to suppress the virus to non-infectious levels, but these medications are often discontinued during the chaotic period following release from jail. Those at risk of HIV can also take antiretroviral therapy as a preventive measure to lower the risk of seroconversion.

Preliminary data suggest that SUCCESS-E, a strengths-based case management and peer navigation program developed via a pilot grant, can help connect individuals to medical care upon release to ensure continued drug therapy. A manual for delivering SUCCESS-E was previously developed to guide case managers and peer navigators.

In this phase, 100 eligible individuals will be enrolled from the Fulton County Jail (FCJ). Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: SUCCESS-E intervention or controls receiving an enhanced version of the jail's discharge planning services.

Data will be collected through medical chart reviews, baseline and follow-up surveys with participants (each taking less than an hour), and single-visit interviews with approximately 30 stakeholders (jail staff, community advocates, and individuals post-program). These key informant interviews will typically last less than an hour and will be recorded for qualitative analysis. Data will also be collected to estimate the cost of delivering the intervention.

The project will apply implementation science to introduce innovations in case management for transitioning individuals from jail back to the community. The case management intervention will be delivered to individuals with HIV or those at high risk of seroconversion, both in jail and post-release. If proven effective, this strategy could help reduce the incidence of new HIV cases by maintaining viral suppression in individuals with HIV and ensuring that those at risk for HIV seroconversion remain on preventive therapy.