# Corrections2Community: Post-release retention in HIV care for ex-inmates in South Africa

> **NIH NIH R34** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $116,837

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has markedly reduced HIV-related mortality and
morbidity in Africa. Yet HIV remains the leading cause of death among adult men and women in
South Africa due fails to initiated ART or remain in care. Between 2 and 3% of HIV-infected men
in South Africa pass through the corrections system annually. While incarcerated uptake of
ART is excellent, unfortunately after release most are lost from care. Qualitative and quantitative
research conducted by the research team with 492 ex-inmates in South Africa indicates that
upon release from correctional settings, this population encounters confusion regarding where
and when to receive care, long queueing times, family abandonment and limited social capital,
enacted stigma, economic insecurity, and substance use (injection drug use reported by 11% of
our participants). This project seeks to further characterize loss from care following release and
to develop and pilot test a group support and HIV care model to retain ex-inmates in HIV care.
This support group approach is based on adapting the South African community adherence
clubs for a special vulnerable population. Such a care and support group for ex-inmates
transitioning in care (a transition community adherence club or TCAC) has the potential to
simultaneously address the multiple barriers to medical care through addressing social and care
delivery barriers. We hypothesize that intervening on these levels will impact retention in care,
virologic suppression, morbidity, and HIV transmission. The current proposal will allow for the
development and piloting of this TCAC strategy to improve HIV care for ex-inmates to increase
knowledge regarding care engagement for ex-inmates and to prepare for a randomized clinical
trial of the TCAC powered for an effectiveness outcome of in-care with an undetectable viral
load at 6 months after release.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9850999
- **Project number:** 5R34MH115777-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTOPHER J HOFFMANN
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $116,837
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-12-01 → 2020-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9850999

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9850999, Corrections2Community: Post-release retention in HIV care for ex-inmates in South Africa (5R34MH115777-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9850999. Licensed CC0.

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