# Impact of a novel HIV peer navigationand overdose prevention intervention on engagement in the HIV prevention and treatment cascade.

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $155,547

## Abstract

Project Summary
People who inject drugs (PWID) are at exceedingly high risk of HIV compared to the general population, yet
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programs that target them in the U.S. are scarce and accordingly PrEP
uptake in this population remains low. In recent years, substance use services have been scaled up to address
overdose among PWID, however, they remain an underutilized entry point into PrEP. Yet, research has
documented an increase in HIV risk behaviors (e.g., syringe sharing, high injection frequency) with
the rise of illicit fentanyl in the U.S., underscoring the need for increased PrEP use among PWID.
Further, in the last several years, xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, has penetrated the illicit opioid
market in many cities including Baltimore. Xylazine use significantly elevates the risk of experiencing
nonfatal and fatal overdoses among opioid users, as has been documented in Baltimore and
elsewhere. Xylazine use causes skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) among PWID. Many SSTIs
can be resolved through basic wound care (e.g., cleaning and dressing), but if unattended, infections
often escalate to more serious conditions (e.g., infective endocarditis, bacteremia) which can result in
hospitalizations, amputation, or death. The receipt of necessary medical services is often hindered by
persistent barriers to accessing traditional healthcare settings (e.g., cost, transportation, stigma). We
propose adding wound care services to the Check it intervention in order to respond to the increasing
burden of xylazine-associated of SSTIs. The impact of Check it on PrEP uptake and outdoes
outcomes is measured by a longitudinal cohort study (“SCOPE”) of street-recruited PWID (N=500), is
evaluating the impact of Check It on PrEP continuum engagement and overdose outcomes. Housed
in a mobile van, Check It provides pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivered by a nurse and
supported by peer navigators, and point-of-care (POC) drug checking using a Fourier Transform
Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) that detects the relative quantity and diversity of substances in a given
sample. We propose adding wound care services to further meet the urgent needs of PWID as well
as promote and engage PWID in accessible, low barrier, PrEP services.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11100717
- **Project number:** 3R01DA053184-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Susan G. Sherman
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $155,547
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11100717

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11100717, Impact of a novel HIV peer navigationand overdose prevention intervention on engagement in the HIV prevention and treatment cascade. (3R01DA053184-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11100717. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*