Linkage to Care

Georgia's Test-Link-Care Network (TLC Network) collaborates with organizations across the state to coordinate HIV testing, primary care, and supportive services. The TLC Network includes covers 18 health districts and aims to identify and link newly diagnosed or out-of-care individuals with HIV to proper care. This model has led to better coordination with various organizations involved in HIV testing and treatment, demonstrating the value of having dedicated Linkage Coordinators.

Every year, around 300 inmates who are HIV-positive are released from prison. The Department of Corrections helps them by providing pre-release case management services and collaborating with the Office of HIV to connect them with medical and care services. This collaboration is crucial for the well-being of the inmates and creates an opportunity to establish a standardized linkage to the care process within Georgia's correctional institutional settings.

ARTAS is a program that helps people who have recently been diagnosed with HIV to connect with medical care. It uses a Strengths-Based Case Management model, which encourages clients to identify their personal strengths and create goals. The program views the community as a resource and sessions can take place in or outside of the office setting.

One out of every eight people in the United States who have HIV do not know they have it. It is important to know your HIV status so that you can take steps to keep yourself and your partner(s) healthy. The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once during routine health care.