# Development and pilot testing of a mobile health application to improve HIV prevention and substance use treatment service access among women involved in the carceral system

> **NIH NIH R34** · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · 2024 · $236,712

## Abstract

Project Summary
Women involved with the carceral system (WICS) are more at risk of HIV infection, substance use disorders,
and overdose than their community-based counterparts. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has emerged as a
powerful HIV-prevention tool and in combination with Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) could
significantly impact HIV and overdose risk. Stigma
but
factors
uptake
 ersists as a principal factor shaping HIV and drug use risk
the role of trauma and resiliency in combination with stigma is understudied. The intersection of these
is i mportant to examine to effectively develop interventions to improve prevention service access and
for women at high-risk of HIV and overdose after release from the carceral system.
p
Patient navigation
holds strong potential to address multifactorial and complex barriers to PrEP and substance use treatment
linkage and uptake WICS. In tandem with patient navigation, eHealth has the potential to improve healthcare
engagement for this group of women. This
between
Links
to
parent
use,
providers/partners
resiliency
women
post
will
and
that
appropriately expands the scope of the parent award and at
intervention
with
 administrative supplement will explore the relationship
intersectional stigma, trauma, and resilience so that findings can be integrated into the PA-
web-based i ntervention, an adjunct to patient navigation services proposed i n the parent award,
ensure it meets the needs of these at-risk women. Specifically, we will build on our formative work i n the
award (Aim 1) by: 1. Adding measures of intersectional stigma (HIV, carceral system involvement, drug
race, etc.), trauma and resiliency into our existing survey with WICS (n=50); 2. Survey system
who currently offer services to WICS to understand how intersectional stigma, trauma and
affects l inkage and service delivery (n=50); and, 3. Conduct prospective in-depth i nterviews with
who have been released from the carceral system immediately following jail release and three months
release to understand how these factors positively or negatively affect service uptake over time (n=20). We
then, 4 . Integrate findings into the PA-Links app and concept/user test with our Community Advisory Board
women with l ived experience to ensure we are addressing important interpersonal and structural barriers
interfere with service uptake and linkage (n=15) (parent Aim 2).
the conclusion of this project we expect to have an
that uniquely addresses intersectional stigma, trauma and resiliency, which can assist navigators
linking WICS with PrEP and MOUD upon release.
This administrative supplement
These results will directly inform a future R01 clinical trial
to test the efficacy of PA-Links for improving uptake of PrEP and MOUD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11020099
- **Project number:** 3R34DA057891-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah B Bass
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $236,712
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-04-15 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11020099

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11020099, Development and pilot testing of a mobile health application to improve HIV prevention and substance use treatment service access among women involved in the carceral system (3R34DA057891-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11020099. Licensed CC0.

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