HIV/AIDS Care

NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan’s HIV primary care services have been awarded Recognition by the National Committee for Quality Assurance Physician Practice Connections® – Patient Centered Medical Home™ Program. The Patient Centered Medical Home standards emphasize the use of systematic, patient-centered, coordinated care that supports access, communication, and patient involvement. The medical home designation recognizes Metropolitan’s model of care, where each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician who leads a team that takes collective responsibility for comprehensive care of the patient. As a medical home, we ensure that coordinated care and long term healing replace episodic care based on illness.

Our patients have access to a wide range of primary and specialty medical care, including surgical, obstetrical, and pediatric services. In addition, we provide nutritional and intensive case management services, psychiatric services, harm reduction services, groups for patients and geriatric focus, and assistance with insurance, entitlements, and benefits.

In addition, we have three programs funded by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and administered through HIV Care Services/Public Health Solutions. These services include: rapid HIV testing, harm reduction, and the SISTA program.

For additional information on any of these services, please contact 212-423-6837.

Rapid HIV Testing

We provide free, confidential rapid HIV testing for uninsured patients. Testing is conducted by providers as well as HIV counselors throughout the hospital, including Ambulatory Care, Emergency Department, Dental Medicine, inpatient units, and at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, La Clǐnica del Barrio. Walk-in rapid HIV testing is also offered in the Virology Clinic, in room 14A1 Main Building, from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Additional services include HIV confirmatory testing and linkage to care for newly diagnosed patients.

Eligibility:
Uninsured patients, or those whose insurance does not pay for the above services, are eligible. Each patient may be tested twice a year. Tests must be given at least 90 days apart. Patients who are already known HIV+ (testing for documentation purposes only) are not eligible for these services.

Harm Reduction

Patients can receive individual and group counseling for Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD), including low-threshold counseling and education regarding substance use, abuse, and harm reduction. The programs focuses on sexual risk reduction, IDU risk reduction, HIV and hepatitis C prevention, as well as medical treatment adherence. We provide assessment of drug/alcohol use and HIV risk behavior.

We also offer HIV rapid testing, confirmatory testing, and linkage to HIV-specialized care for newly diagnosed patients.

Eligibility:
HIV+ clients are eligible for AOD individual and group counseling. Uninsured clients with a history of drug/alcohol use are eligible for HIV rapid testing. Uninsured clients with an unknown HIV status or who are HIV+ but have been out of care for 9 months are eligible for confirmatory testing and linkage to care after a preliminary positive HIV test. Clients with unknown or negative HIV status, including family members or partners of HIV+ AOD clients, are eligible for low-threshold AOD individual counseling for up to three months.

All services are provided in the Virology Clinic, located in 14B in the Main Building.
Hours are 9 AM to 4:30 PM (9 AM to 4 PM for rapid testing).

SISTA Program

Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS, or SISTA, is a skills-building program designed to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and empower Latina and African-American women in their relationships. The five 2-hour sessions, plus one booster session, cover the following topics:

• Ethnic and gender pride
• HIV/AIDS education
• Assertiveness skills training
• Sexual risk reduction strategies & decision making around healthy sexuality
• Coping skills

Eligibility:
The SISTA program is for Latina and African-American women aged 18 and over, especially those at high-risk for HIV infection, with a heterosexual HIV risk factor and no history of IV drug use. Though geared toward HIV prevention education, the program is open to both HIV- and HIV+ women. For information on upcoming session dates and locations, please call 646-672-3174.