Working with HIV-Positive Clients

HIV Disclosure: Deciding Who & When to Tell

This half-day training will increase the case manager's awareness of the multifaceted issues clients face when contemplating HIV status disclosure to family, friends and service providers. The case manager will develop the skills necessary to conduct timely, ongoing assessments and discussion of HIV status disclosure as a component of effective service planning. This training is meant to enhance case manager skills and should not be viewed as a foundation training for new staff entering the field.

By the end of this training, case managers will be able to:

  • Describe the benefits of ongoing assessment and discussion around disclosure;
  • Outline a format to help clients with effective decision-making about HIV/AIDS status disclosure, listing the benefits and limitations;
  • Explain the value of supporting a client's decision regarding disclosure; and
  • Discuss the steps involved in making the decision to disclose HIV/AIDS status to family, friends and service providers.

Prerequisite: Although there is no prerequisite for this course, it is strongly suggested that participants have previous training in HIV confidentiality and have taken "Introduction to Case Management", "Enhancing the Partnership between Client and Case Manager" and "Serving Families: From Assessments to Service Plans."

Audience: All health and human service providers including: case managers and case management technicians in both COBRA and grant-funded programs, supervisors, program directors, and other interested health and human service providers.

Date Location Registration Center
July 7 Hawthorne ARCS
July 22 Buffalo ARC
September 22 Manhattan NDRI
October 1 Queens ACRIA
October 8 Syracuse REACH
October 22 Manhattan Cicatelli
November 17 Manhattan NDRI
November 17 Newburgh ARCS
December 17 Ronkonkoma CPHE

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Promoting Primary Care & Treatment Adherence for HIV Positive Individuals

This one-day training is designed to increase awareness of non-physician health and human services providers about HIV primary care guidelines and treatment adherence. Non-physician health and human services providers who are aware of HIV primary care guidelines and strategies for supporting treatment adherence can play an important role in improving the health outcomes of people living with HIV.

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

  • List the components of primary care for patients living with HIV;
  • Identify the key elements of the annual comprehensive physical exam for patients living with HIV;
  • Identify the routine laboratory screening and assessments used in primary care for people living with HIV, including methods used to assess and measure adherence;
  • Recall the different classes of HIV medications and briefly describe how they work;
  • Identify common barriers to treatment adherence, including medication side effects;
  • List three specific strategies for promoting treatment adherence;
  • Identify when referrals to specialty care may be needed;
  • Work as a member of the care team to:
    • help patients take advantage of health maintenance services, vaccination, and prophylaxis for opportunistic infections
    • conduct client assessments and make referrals for a variety of psycho-social issues including substance use, mental health, domestic violence, smoking cessation, etc.

Prerequisite: It is strongly recommended that participants have previous knowledge or training on basic HIV/AIDS information.

Audience: Non-physician health and human services providers who work directly with people living with HIV including: case managers, counselors, nurses, support services providers and others.

Date Location Registration Center
December 1 Manhattan NDRI
December 7 Hawthorne ARCS
December 10 Buffalo ARC
December 11 Manhattan Cicatelli

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Addressing Prevention with HIV Positive Clients

This one-day training will prepare participants to help people living with HIV to avoid sexual and substance use behaviors that can result in 1) transmitting HIV to others and 2) negative health outcomes for themselves.

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

  • List psychosocial issues that can make it difficult for people living with HIV to change sexual and substance using behaviors associated with HIV transmission;
  • Identify provider values and beliefs about addressing prevention issues with their HIV positive clients;
  • Practice using a booklet that helps people living with HIV consider issues related to disclosure to sexual and needle sharing partners;
  • Practice skills associated with working one on one with HIV positive clients on prevention issues;
  • Explore specific strategies for working with special populations; and
  • Examine prevention resources and be able to make referrals for prevention services.

Prerequisite: It is strongly recommended that participants have previous knowledge on harm reduction and basic HIV/AIDS information.

Audience: All health and human service providers, especially those who work directly with HIV-positive clients.

Note: Staff who work in case management programs should attend the training titled, "Addressing Prevention in HIV Case Management".

Date Location Registration Center
September 11 Manhattan ACRIA
September 29 Manhattan Cicatelli
December 1 Amityville CPHE
December 2 Hawthorne ARCS
December 11 Manhattan NDRI

OASAS: The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute is an OASAS Certified Education and Training Provider. This course is approved for initial credentialing and renewal of CASAC, CPP and CPS for 6.5 clock hours.*

*Course are not approved for initial credentialing for CPS.

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Mental Health Services: Ensuring Appropriate Referrals for HIV Positive Clients

This two-day training is designed to orient HIV providers to basic information about mental illness and to prepare providers to make effective referrals to mental health care services.

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

  • Discuss values, bias, and stigma of mental illness within different cultures;
  • Describe an overview of mental health and HIV/AIDS in NYS;
  • List of common psychiatric disorders;
  • List mental health service delivery system resources an referrals; and
  • Explore barriers to mental health care.

Prerequisite: None

Audience: All health and human service providers including: case managers and case management technicians in both COBRA and grant-funded programs, supervisors, program directors.

Date Location Registration Center
July 7-8 Buffalo ARC
September 9-10 Manhattan NDRI
December 2-3 Manhattan Cicatelli

OASAS: The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute is an OASAS Certified Education and Training Provider. This course is approved for initial credentialing and renewal of CASAC, CPP and CPS for 15.0 clock hours.*

*Course are not approved for initial credentialing for CPS.

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Measuring Health Outcomes: Evaluation Methods for HIV Supportive Services Programs

This three-day training on program evaluation is designed specifically for organizations providing supportive services to individuals living with HIV/AIDS. This training will help organizations develop systems and methods to evaluate the impact of their services on their clients' health outcomes. Participants will be shown how to use a variety of data sources for program evaluation, including data that they input into the AIDS Institute Reporting System (AIRS).

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the purpose and value of program evaluation;
  • Develop a basic program evaluation plan pertinent to their HIV supportive services;
  • List evaluation methods;
  • Use their agency's AIRS data for program evaluation;
  • Develop strategies for evaluating the impact of their services on client health outcomes; and
  • Identify methods to overcome barriers to conducting evaluation in an organization.

Prerequisite: Up to two individuals from one organization may attend. It is helpful if one person has a working knowledge of AIRS as it is used in their program. A laptop is required. Participants from the same organization may share a laptop.

Audience: Health and human service providers who are responsible for designing or managing evaluation of supportive service programs for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Date Location Registration Center
September 30-October 2 Albany Univ. of Rochester

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Strategies for Maximizing Access to Health Care Services for People with HIV: Navigating the Maze of Eligibility Criteria in New York's Public Health Care Programs

This three-hour training will provide information needed to assist clients in their understanding of, and access to, the health care programs in New York State that are key for people living with HIV/AIDS, including Medicaid, ADAP, Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the key role of benefits/entitlements specialist, case managers and HIV service providers in helping clients access public health benefits;
  • Describe and apply eligibility criteria for the public health programs discussed, utilizing the resource materials provided;
  • Identify common barriers and obstacles clients may face with respect to accessing public health programs; and
  • Advocate for clients by identifying potential legal issues, presenting legal references to county workers, and making referrals to legal services.

Prerequisite: None

Audience: Case managers, both medical and COBRA, as well as follow-up staff and other interested community members.

Date Location Registration Center
September 17 Buffalo LAC

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