From our colleagues at TargetHIV, Creative Responses to COVID-19 highlights some of the approaches Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees are taking to respond to clinic changes and provider and patient needs during this unprecedented time of COVID-19. The blog post underlines three programmatic areas - policies and procedures, communication, and helping to fill basic needs like food and rent.
"In response to clinic operation curtailments during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdowns, telehealth services have reportedly expanded across the nation, with subsequent federal support, helping to help maintain connections between patients and care providers.
Expanded telehealth, however, is just the tip of the innovation iceberg
Expanded telehealth, however, is just the tip of the innovation iceberg. This blog describes how various entities that provide services funded by HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau’s (HAB) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) have adapted operations in response. Featured are programs in California, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, and Washington State. Agencies have crafted and modified processes to conduct eligibility assessments, fill prescriptions, keep insurance coverage in place, and provide help with groceries and rent to the newly unemployed. Staff are also keeping in contact with each other as they undertake what amounts to telework on steroids, features of which may remain the norm as the world starts to reopen and rebound."
