Office of HIV/AIDS Special Projects

The Office of HIV/AIDS (OHA) has worked throughout the years to improve the health of those living with HIV and those at risk for getting HIV through special projects and programs. While some projects have aided our fight to end the HIV epidemic in Georgia, others have been implemented within OHA’s core activities. Please find below an abbreviated listing of our projects.

Project Seasons

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), Office of HIV/AIDS (OHA) and the Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Aging Services (DAS) have teamed up to focus on providing services to older PLWHA. To address this gap in services to a population in need, DPH, OHA and DHS, DAS intends to collaborate on a multi-disciplinary pilot project to identify a sustainable way to reach and provide needed services to a diverse population of PLWHA over in rural communities.  This pilot project is called Project Seasons, and it integrates GA DPH and DHS resources to better equip rural older PLWHA or long-term survivors, especially those from racial/ethnic minority and LGBTQ communities, with the skills, support and information needed to better navigate their health choices while enhancing their wellbeing.

HHS Announces Phase 1 Winners of Two National HIV and Aging Challenges | HIV.gov

Fact Sheet HIV among people ages 50+ in Georgia

Overview of Project Seasons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYnEu1pPqEg.

Care and Prevention in the United States (CAPUS) Demonstration Project

The CAPUS Project was a three year demonstration project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with HRSA, SAMSHA, OMH, OWH, and HHS. The Georgia CAPUS Demonstration Project aimed to create systems to improve HIV testing, linkage to and retention in care, and medication adherence for high risk minority populations. Major components of the project included funding community-based organizations to expand HIV prevention and care services; use of networks, consortiums, and community partnerships to increase provider collaboration; use of surveillance data to inform prevention and care goals; and the use of partnerships and programs to address social and structural barriers affecting HIV testing, linkage, retention, and re-engagement. This project was funded from September 2012 – September 2015 under the initial three year grant period, with a no cost extension from September 2015 – March 2017.

The Georgia CAPUS Demonstration Project also gave birth to the Georgia CAPUS Resource Hub, an online one-stop information source for all things HIV/AIDS in the state of Georgia. The CAPUS Resource Hub will remain a viable part of OHA’s prevention and care initiatives. To learn more about the Georgia CAPUS Resource Hub visit Ending The Epidemic | Ending The Epidemic (ga.gov)

To learn more about the National CAPUS Demonstration Project click here.

Georgia’s Test-Link-Care Network

Georgia’s Test-Link-Care (TLC) Network model uses community partnerships to organize HIV testing, HIV primary care, and support services throughout the state. The purpose of this network is to find and link newly diagnosed, out of care, and persons who have not been tested for HIV to services within their local community. The Anti-Retroviral Treatment and Access to Services (ARTAS) intervention is used as the primary method of linking newly diagnosed persons to care services under the TLC Network model. The TLC network model consists of 3 core components: a community based HIV testing site, an HIV primary care provider, and an ARTAS linkage case manager assigned to work directly with clients in need of HIV care services. Additional components of the model include: health department representation, client/consumer representation, and social support organizations. The TLC Network supports patient retention in care through partnerships that span all of the patient’s HIV care and social support needs. This project was originally funded from March 2012 – December 2015 under PS12-1201 as a Demonstration Project. The TLC Network remains an important component of the Office’s HIV prevention efforts. 

To learn more about the TLC network click here .

Minority AIDS Initiative for Targeted Capacity Expansion (MAI-TCE) Program

The MAI-TCE program was a demonstration project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).The purpose of the MAI-TCE program was to advance the expansion of community-based treatment systems for racial and ethnic persons struggling with substance use and mental disorders.  Expected project outcomes included reducing the effect of behavioral health problems, reducing risk of HIV infection, and increasing access to care for persons diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder who may also have HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis. Through the MAI-TCE Program, the Georgia Department of Public Health created Atlanta CHANGE. Atlanta CHANGE acts as a formal group of community-based health and primary care programs focused on the prevention and/or treatment of HIV/AIDS for minority communities where HIV, mental health, and substance disorders are priority health concerns. 

The Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan (ECHPP)

ECHPP was a three year demonstration project led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atlanta was one of 12 metropolitan areas to receive funding to develop an enhanced comprehensive HIV prevention plan. This plan addressed strategies to reduce HIV/AIDS within the Metro Atlanta area*. The plan used a combination of resources to increase access to HIV testing in clinical and non-clinical settings, enrollment into HIV care services for positive persons, condom distribution, partner services, and medication and treatment adherence. The ECHPP also included prevention strategies for at risk and high-risk persons throughout the Metro Atlanta area. This project was funded from September 2010 – September 2013 by the CDC. 

To learn more about the Enhanced HIV Comprehensive Prevention Plan click here . 

To learn more about the Plan’s executive summary click here .

*defined as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta area which is the 28 county region located within the northern and northwestern region of the state of Georgia. 

Page Last Updated 7/12/23