Expanding Safe Spaces 4 Sexual Health, a Mobile Van HIV/STI Testing and Care Linkage Strategy, for MSM in Online Spaces
Status: Recruiting
Location: See all (2) locations...
Intervention Type: Other
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY
In an earlier study, the study team carried out an HIV/Sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing approach which found men who have sex with men (MSM) at-risk of getting or spreading HIV in online spaces and linked them to testing services on a mobile van. The goal of this present study is to add on to this approach by connecting participants (MSM aged 18-49 residing in Baltimore City) with a peer health navigator to support them with getting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or HIV care services after testing. Researchers will compare using a peer health navigator approach to using a referrals-only approach to get PrEP or HIV care services. Participants will be assigned to either Arm A (group that receives peer health navigator help) or Arm B (group that gets referred) to get PrEP or HIV care.
Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: Male
Minimum Age: 18
Maximum Age: 49
Healthy Volunteers: t
View:
• Male
• 18-49 years of age
• Ability to read and speak English
• Reside in Baltimore City
• Report sex with a male in the past 12 months
Locations
United States
Maryland
Johns Hopkins
RECRUITING
Baltimore
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Baltimore
Contact Information
Primary
Steven Huettner
shuettn1@jhmi.edu
410 302 2103
Backup
Errol Fields, MD, PhD, MPH
errol.fields@jhmi.edu
14105028317
Time Frame
Start Date:2025-08-10
Estimated Completion Date:2026-02-01
Participants
Target number of participants:100
Treatments
Experimental: Intervention group receiving peer health navigation follow-up
Participants randomly assigned to Arm A will receive a navigation/care linkage needs assessment followed by peer navigation once weekly after discussing their test results with the navigator to support their linkage to PrEP or HIV care over a six-week period. Navigators will complete the following care linkage steps: 1) assess interest in linkage, 2) identify preferred clinic for care linkage, and 3) assist with scheduling initial PrEP/HIV provider appointment. Additionally, the investigators will use the qualitative data collected from in-depth interviews (IRB00375934) of Black MSM and key informant interviews of care linkage stakeholders on barriers and facilitators to HIV prevention and care linkage strategies to inform the peer navigation that Arm A receives.
No_intervention: Control group receiving standard of care referral
Participants randomly assigned to Arm B will go through the standard of care referral process to a local community site providing PrEP or HIV care after discussing their test results with a navigator. During this discussion with a navigator, participants will receive information about the PrEP/HIV care sites where the participants can go for services. Six weeks following this initial follow-up, participants will meet virtually with the navigator to complete a PrEP/care linkage status assessment to determine if the participants attended the initial PrEP/HIV provider appointment.