CCTG 593: Testing and Linkage to Care

This is a CCTG sponsored project to determine if those recently screened for HIV would accept assistance to be linked into appropriate health services. After receiving their HIV results, high-risk individuals who test negative will have an option to be linked into a study that offers them Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and individuals who test positive will have an option to be linked into care. If they accept, tested individuals will be in contact with an ALERT specialist that will help facilitate their linkage. The study's primary analysis will analyze how many HIV screened individuals accept the ALERT specialist assistance.

Design: CCTG 593 is a project to evaluate the uptake and effectiveness of an ALERT specialist serving to 1. link newly diagnosed, HIV infected persons from HIV testing sites to HIV specialist providers, and 2. link confirmed HIV antibody negative persons with continued high risk behaviors to PrEP centers Duration: Each subject who agrees to linkage will receive ALERT follow-up until successful linkage or 60 days following enrollment for linkage to care or 90 days following enrollment for linkage to PrEP, whichever comes first. The duration of the 593 project will be for 3.5 years or until all subjects have been enrolled and successfully linked, or 60 days pass for linkage to care or 90 days for linkage to PrEP. Sample Size: Up to 600 subjects will be tested and offered linkage across all CCTG sites: LA County-USC Medical Center, Harbor-UCLA/City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, UCSD/San Diego Health and Human Services Agency. Study Population: Eligible subjects will include any persons 18 years of age or older who have been tested for HIV at one of the CCTG testing sites (LA County + USC, Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, and San Diego Health and Human Services Agency).