Massachusetts: Roxbury Health Center Chosen as Part of National HIV Program

Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury will be one of a select group of providers participating in the national HIV in Primary Care Learning Community program. HPCLC, part of President Obama's new domestic AIDS strategy, will help clinics provide specialized care to people living with or affected by HIV, said Frederica Williams, the center's president and CEO. WSHC is one of 24 centers chosen through an application process, and it is the only participating facility in Massachusetts.

"It is recognition of the efforts of the work we have done so far to expand our reach to the community," said Williams. "It will deepen our ability to reduce disparity by expanding care at the community level."

WSHC primarily serves blacks and Latinos. According to Williams, the center functions as a "less formal entry point" for patients in need of assistance.

HPCLC is a $2.97 million, three-year effort that will be implemented in July, following a training session in Washington at which centers will be provided with screening and testing tools. "We will be learning from the best, and we will be learning from an evidence-based primary care system," Williams said.

A patient navigator system will help people once they have been diagnosed, said Williams. "Our focus is around the harder-to-reach population," she added.

"Our work will also increase the number of people who know their HIV status by building on current HIV testing and screening efforts and linking Bostonians living with HIV to care," said Brian Hujdich, HPCLC's principal investigator.

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