In December 2019, ISPD entered in a cooperative agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement a comprehensive and patient-centered package of HIV prevention, care and treatment services under the BRIDGE Project. The project places a particular emphasis on individuals most at risk of contracting HIV, notably mobile and migrant populations, priority and key populations, and others less likely to access HIV services, thus contributing to further closing gaps in the national HIV program.
ISPD facilitates access to HIV services by bringing such services to these populations, near their places of activity or even integrated in their workplace through three models of service delivery:
- Mobile units located in bus stations, marketplaces or other places of concentrated populations and along the border with the Dominican Republic (DR);
- Family friendly clinics to be integrated in existing clinics after hours or on week-ends;
- Men’s health clinics.
BRIDGE has five ART sites located in Delmas, Tabarre, Jérémie, Plaine-du-Nord and Cap-Haitian; three Mobile community units and two fixed points for HIV prevention services and health promotion at Ouanaminthe and Malpasse (official border entry points).
VIP Card
First contact
ISPD has developed a SmartCard application (VIP card) to support continuum of care and Community ART distribution. The VIP card offers to patients the opportunity to receive services at another facility of his/her choosing without having to re-enrolled as the card contains the patients’ consolidated files with all relevant information for the provider to continue his/her treatment.
The ISPD & the COVID-19
First contact
ISPD has received additional funding to increase the capacity of Hospital Saint Luke (HSL) to provide care for COVID-19 patients and to increase testing capacity in the country. HSL, through its 101-bed COVID unit, has provided care to more than 2,433 patients with COVID-19 symptoms.
ISPD launched Faith Community Initiative in March 2020 and is collaborating with the leaders of the Catholic, Protestant and Voodoo sectors to disseminate Messages of Hope and deliver key messages for stigma reduction during their sermons, outreach activities, and through religious social media and channels (TVs, Radios). ISPD has trained 379 faith leaders on HIV prevention, stigmatization, faith healing practices and treatment adherence. In collaboration with trained faith leaders, FCI has reached at least 11370 followers with community outreach.