# Implementation of Rapid HIV Testing and Linkage to HIV Treatment or Prevention Among Vulnerable Populations in Tennessee

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $1,358,764

## Abstract

Project Summary
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection remains a significant public health problem in the United States
(US). It is estimated that almost 15% of the 1.17 million people living with HIV (PLWH) in the US are unaware
of their HIV status. And despite the existence of highly effective HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy, ART),
only 65% of people living with diagnosed HIV have achieved viral suppression. Similarly, among HIV-negative
people eligible for PrEP, only 18% have used PrEP. These gaps between evidence and practice are deepened
in the US South, where the opioid crisis has further increased the risk for acquiring HIV in this region. In order
to achieve US Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) goals, implementation research, particularly in the US South, is
needed to close the gap between evidence-based interventions and practice in the HIV neutral continuum of
care. Thus, our overarching goal is to support and evaluate the implementation of a sustainable HIV health
service model for rapid HIV testing and linkage to HIV treatment (ART) or prevention (PrEP) in Tennessee
(TN), a state located in the US South. Our Core Project will focus on implementation and evaluation of rapid
HIV testing and linkage to ART from the Shelby County Health Department, the highest volume HIV testing
facility in Memphis, TN (a southern US city which ranks 4th among all US Metropolitan Statistical Areas for HIV
incidence) to several nearby Ryan White-funded HIV care clinics. Our Collaborative Project will focus on
implementation and evaluation of rapid HIV testing and linkage to local PrEP providers from: 1) Street Works, a
Community Based Organization (CBO) providing a Syringe Service Program (SSP) to the Nashville community
and 2) A Betor Way, a CBO providing a SSP to the Memphis community. We are uniquely positioned to
perform the work we propose for three important reasons. First, we plan to leverage an established
collaboration with implementation and community partners in Memphis and Nashville including colleagues from
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, University of Memphis, Shelby County Health Department, Street
Works, and A Betor Way. Second, we will leverage resources available at the TN Center for AIDS Research,
Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research, and the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance/Community
Engaged Research Core. Thirdly, the investigators involved in this proposal possess the expertise in HIV
clinical care and prevention, implementation science, and public health practice necessary to complete the
proposed work. The proposed study will support the implementation of a contextually appropriate rapid
HIV testing and linkage to HIV treatment (ART) or prevention (PrEP) in Memphis and Nashville, TN. The
results will inform future scaling of these models to additional HIV testing, care, prevention sites across TN, a
geographic area at the epicenter of important US HIV disparities. Importantly, our work will support the
Memphis an...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10460100
- **Project number:** 5U01PS005240-02
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Carolyn Audet
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,358,764
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10460100

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10460100, Implementation of Rapid HIV Testing and Linkage to HIV Treatment or Prevention Among Vulnerable Populations in Tennessee (5U01PS005240-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10460100. Licensed CC0.

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