PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Transitioning HIV+ Youth from Adolescent to Adult Services Program is part of the national Consumer-Provider Partnership Project being conducted by Cicatelli Associates Inc. Transitioning HIV+ Youth will help agencies implement effective and innovative strategies for building up HIV+ young adult consumers to serve as mentors who can help other HIV+ youth successfully transition to adult health care. These consumer-provider partnerships will help manage this transition, and contribute to the provision of comprehensive, coordinated and culturally competent HIV care.
BACKGROUND
Transitioning from adolescent to adult primary care is a
challenging event, and may raise a myriad of challenges for HIV+
youth. Some of these challenges may include losing the
relationship with their adolescent provider, their reluctance to
disclose sexual activity and/or substance use to new providers,
and their need to assume more responsibility and decision-making
in their own health care. Other challenges to a smooth
transition may include provider resistance, communication
difficulties, cultural differences between adolescent and adult
provider settings, adolescent resistance to change, differences
in treatment practices, and lack of familiarity with adult
treatment services. Adult and adolescent providers need to work
together, along with the HIV+ youth consumer, to coordinate
his/her transition from one provider to another. One solution to
more successfully managing this transition is using young adult
consumers who have successfully made the transition from
adolescent to adult care, to serve as mentors to HIV+ youth in
transition. As a peer, and having gone through the experience,
these young adult consumers can provide a unique perspective,
along with support and guidance, to HIV+ youth consumers to help
them through this challenging period of change.
Transitioning from adolescent to adult primary care is a
challenging event, and may raise a myriad of challenges for HIV+
youth. Some of these challenges may include losing the
relationship with their adolescent provider, their reluctance to
disclose sexual activity and/or substance use to new providers,
and their need to assume more responsibility and decision-making
in their own health care. Other challenges to a smooth
transition may include provider resistance, communication
difficulties, cultural differences between adolescent and adult
provider settings, adolescent resistance to change, differences
in treatment practices, and lack of familiarity with adult
treatment services. Adult and adolescent providers need to work
together, along with the HIV+ youth consumer, to coordinate
his/her transition from one provider to another. One solution to
more successfully managing this transition is using young adult
consumers who have successfully made the transition from
adolescent to adult care, to serve as mentors to HIV+ youth in
transition. As a peer, and having gone through the experience,
these young adult consumers can provide a unique perspective,
along with support and guidance, to HIV+ youth consumers to help
them through this challenging period of change.
Cicatelli Associates Inc. (CAI) will provide training and
technical assistance to adolescent and adult clinic staff, and
young adult consumers who have successfully transitioned to
adult services, to help agencies implement a patient–provider
partnership for care. CAI has a long history of working in
HIV/AIDS, including our experience in providing training on
integrating peer advocates in healthcare teams to Ryan White
funded agencies and other HIV healthcare providers. Using the
lessons learned, and best practices from our prior experience,
CAI has designed an onsite tailored technical assistance program
that targets clinic staff and consumers.
