Module 2: Evidence-Based and Promising HIV/AIDS Program Models

Programs that address HIV/AIDS span the HIV/AIDS care continuum from educational campaigns aimed at the prevention of new HIV cases to the use of telehealth to expand access to HIV/AIDS treatment and specialty care. These programs can help prevent new HIV infections, identify individuals with undiagnosed HIV infections, link newly diagnosed individuals to care, help retain individuals in care, encourage adherence and self-management, and improve the quality of care in rural areas.

Selecting and implementing an HIV/AIDS program model in a rural community involves many important resources and careful planning, community buy-in, and commitment from partners. The most appropriate program model may depend on the rural community's needs, the target population, available resources such as space and transportation, relationships between organizations in the community, HIV/AIDS stigma in the community, and other community characteristics.

This toolkit describes several evidence-based and promising models that rural communities can implement to address HIV prevention and treatment.

In this module:

• Models to Prevent New Infections
• Models to Diagnose HIV/AIDS Cases
• Models to Improve Access to Quality HIV/AIDS Care
• Models to Improve Retention, Adherence, and Self-Management

Rural communities may choose to implement one or multiple HIV/AIDS program models in order to target different prevention and treatment strategies. Many rural communities combine different evidence-based and promising models to build a comprehensive program that will meet their needs. For more information about models that have been implemented together, please see Module 3: Program Clearinghouse.

To learn how to identify and adapt interventions, see Developing a Rural Community Health Program in the Rural Community Health Toolkit.