FY12 Peer-to-Peer Outreach Model to Curb HIV/AIDS Transmission Among High Risk Minority Youth and Adolescents (CHAT)

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As the lead agency to improve and protect the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities, the Office of Minority Health, through the mechanism of the CHAT Program, seeks to improve the HIV/AIDS health outcomes of high risk minority youth (13-19 years old) by supporting community-based efforts to increase HIV/AIDS prevention/education efforts, testing, counseling and referrals. The CHAT Program will integrate HIV testing, peer educators/lay health workers, counseling and linkages and social media and technology into a wide- ranging community model to reduce the risk of infection in high prevalence communities. This project will also encourage partnerships among traditional service providers targeting high risk adolescents, such as substance abuse prevention centers for youth; foster care agencies working with youth; youth serving organizations; yo uth runaway shelters; and peer-to-peer education programs. The project will have three major components: 1) HIV testing, counseling, and linkages to services; 2) peer-to-peer educators/lay health workers for HIV/AIDS education; and 3) utilization of social media and technology. The project will make use of traditional outreach and innovative technology approaches to reach youth with safer sex tips, respond to questions and concerns, and to keep the youth connected with counselors and peer educators or lay health workers. These traditional youth service providers will be asked to form partnerships to leverage their access to and expertise with the targeted population.

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