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2009 USCA Workshop Abstract: A Toolkit for Training HIV Positive Peers

Track: Care and Primary Care

Title: Building Blocks to Peer Success: A Toolkit for Training HIV Positive Peers

Date/time: Friday, October 30, 2009, 10:45 AM – 12:45 PM

Type of Presentation: Workshop

Presenters: Simone Phillips, People to People; Shailey Merchant, Lotus Project; Alicia Downes, People to People; John Ruiz, PEER Center.

Topic: The Building Blocks for Peer Success toolkit is a resource to train HIV positive peers to help others living with HIV to engage and remain in HIV primary care. The toolkit provides a guide to conducting peer training programs, as well as hundreds of adaptable training modules that address treatment education and adherence, communication skills, and peer roles and responsibilities. Individuals who participate in this workshop will learn how to use the toolkit to plan and design a training curriculum that meets the needs of peers in their health care settings. This project was funded by the Division of Training and Technical Assistance of HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau through Minority AIDS Initiative Funding. This workshop builds upon the curricula of four different Peer Education and Training Sites and their experience conducting peer training across the United States and its territories.

Issues: The HIV/AIDS epidemic is growing among communities of color, yet they still face challenges in engaging and remaining in HIV care and treatment. Many service providers are turning to interventions that employ HIV+ peers as a strategy to improve health care utilization and health outcomes. Yet each organization faces the challenge of developing its own peer training program to engage in this work. The purpose of the Building Blocks toolkit is to provide broad access to training resources, along with instructions about how to use them to create your own curriculum to train peers in your community.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Know where to go to access web-based training curricula and planning resources
  • Identify key core competencies for training HIV+ peers
  • Design a training plan for HIV+ peers

Strategy and Methods: This will be an interactive session with several exercises to help participants become acquainted with the toolkit sections and learn how to use it to develop a training curriculum. Teaching methods include:

  • A brainstorming activity to identify core competencies
  • A web-based tour of the toolkit guide and training modules (Section of the Toolkit include: Training Guide, Core Training Modules, Activities such as icebreakers and energizers, Continuing Education, and Case Studies)
  • Model the implementation of a training needs assessment and the development of training objectives
  • A small group activity to develop a training plan based on the objectives