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How do peers work in cooperation with Ryan White case managers?

Ideally, peers are part of a team with case managers where there is clarity on the types of assistance peers can provide to clients. Peers are not case managing clients, but working within a team of professionals with diverse skills and specialty areas. Accepting peers as part of the multidisciplinary team can be challenging for some professionals initially. It is a bit of a paradigm shift that requires some faith that individuals will navigate the transition from client to a member of the support team successfully. Within some clinical or community settings, peers are completely integrated into this team, and in others their role and access to information is more limited. For example, a specific issue like treatment adherence may be an area where peers may work intensely with the client. Peers who take medication may be able to share the experience in a manner case managers can’t; they can listen and help address clients’ concerns and share ideas on how to talk with doctors about medication. Many case managers find peer assistance tremendously helpful as the case managers struggle to serve caseloads that are large and difficult to handle alone. Peers may work closely with case managers to check in with clients.

In clinics, case managers find it beneficial to be able to say to those who are newly diagnosed, “We have a peer here on staff who also goes to this clinic and has been through some similar life situations. Would you like to meet with this person?” The peer often has a perspective and familiarity with living with HIV/AIDS that the case manager may not be able to provide.

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