Mortality among clients in the New York city HIV Care Coordination Program (CCP): incidence and associated clinical factors.

PURPOSE: We examined psychosocial factors (housing, drug use, incarceration history or mental health) and care factors (comorbidities and acute care) associated with all-cause and HIV-related mortality while enrolled in the New York City Ryan White HIV Care Coordination Program (CCP), an intensive case management program for people with barriers to HIV care and treatment. METHODS: We used hazards regression (HR) to understand factors associated with mortality. RESULTS: 8,135 people (13,479.4 person years [PY]) enrolled in the CCP from March 2011 to December 2016. The all-cause mortality rate while enrolled was 28.8 per 1000 PY (N = 388), with 43% of deaths (N = 167) related to HIV (12.4 per 1000 PY). Controlling for demographics and clinical status, the variables associated with increased hazards of all-cause mortality included hospitalizations or emergency-department visits prior to enrollment (aHRHospitalizations: 2.54; 95% Confidence Interval 2.07-3.11 and aHRED: 1.54; 1.24-1.92) or a diabetes or Hepatitis C diagnosis at enrollment (aHRDiabetes: 1.80; 1.36-2.37 and aHRHCV: 1.78; 1.37-2.30). These factors also increased the hazards of HIV-related mortality. CONCLUSIONS: CCP and similar case management programs should systematically screen enrolling clients for a history of acute care and comorbidities, as they may be important markers of need for more intensive engagement and follow-up to prevent death.

PROMISE (Program Refinements to Optimize Model Impact and Scalability based on Evidence): a cluster-randomised, stepped-wedge trial assessing effectiveness of the revised versus original Ryan White Part A HIV Care Coordination Programme for patients with barriers to treatment in the USA.

INTRODUCTION: Growing evidence supports combining social, behavioural and biomedical strategies to strengthen the HIV care continuum. However, combination interventions can be resource-intensive and challenging to scale up. Research is needed to identify intervention components and delivery models that maximise uptake, engagement and effectiveness. In New York City (NYC), a multicomponent Ryan White Part A-funded medical case management intervention called the Care Coordination Programme (CCP) was launched at 28 agencies in 2009 in order to address barriers to care and treatment. Effectiveness estimates based on >7000 clients enrolled by April 2013 and their controls indicated modest CCP benefits over 'usual care' for short-term and long-term viral suppression, with substantial room for improvement. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Integrating evaluation findings and CCP service-provider and community-stakeholder input on modifications, the NYC Health Department packaged a Care Coordination Redesign (CCR) in a 2017 request for proposals. Following competitive re-solicitation, 17 of the original CCP-implementing agencies secured contracts. These agencies were randomised within matched pairs to immediate or delayed CCR implementation. Data from three 9-month periods (pre-implementation, partial implementation and full implementation) will be examined to compare CCR versus CCP effects on timely viral suppression (TVS, within 4 months of enrolment) among individuals with unsuppressed HIV viral load newly enrolling in the CCR/CCP. Based on current enrolment (n=933) and the pre-implementation outcome probability (TVS=0.54), the detectable effect size with 80% power is an OR of 2.75 (relative risk: 1.41). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Institutional Review Board (IRB, Protocol 18-009) and the City University of New York Integrated IRB (Protocol 018-0057) with a waiver of informed consent. Findings will be disseminated via publications, conferences, stakeholder meetings, and Advisory Board meetings with implementing agency representatives. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier: NCT03628287, V.2, 25 September 2019; pre-results.

Social Vulnerabilities and Reported Discrimination in Health Care Among HIV-Positive Medical Case Management Clients in New York City.

We aimed to investigate the extent to which social vulnerabilities correlated with lifetime experience of discrimination in healthcare among people with HIV (PWH) receiving services to improve treatment adherence and viral suppression. Individuals (N=687) enrolled in a Ryan White Part A medical case management program were surveyed about discrimination experienced in healthcare settings, reasons for any discrimination faced, and self-reported health. We merged data from the survey with data from the New York City HIV Surveillance Registry and a programmatic database to obtain client sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and reported history of social vulnerabilities. Thirty-nine percent of participants reported lifetime experience of discrimination in healthcare settings; individuals with a history of at least three social vulnerabilities (mental health diagnosis, incarceration, substance use, and/or housing instability) had more than twice the odds of reporting discrimination than individuals who did not report any of these social vulnerabilities (aOR, 2.33 [95% CI, 1.43 - 3.83]). Among individuals who reported discrimination in healthcare, those who cited HIV status or substance use as reasons for discrimination were significantly more likely to report a higher number of social vulnerabilities (p=0.04 and p=0.009, respectively), with discrimination due to HIV status most strongly associated with a mental health diagnosis. These findings underscore the importance of acknowledging life experience and psychosocial barriers in provider interactions with PWH. They also highlight a need for monitoring provider attitudes and behaviors regarding intersectional stigmas related not only to factors such as race and sexual orientation, but also to social vulnerabilities.

Hepatitis C infection among men who have sex with men living with HIV in New York City, 2000-2015.

OBJECTIVES: To calculate the rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) with no reported history of injection drug use (IDU), and to assess whether disparities exist in HIV/HCV coinfection by race/ethnicity and neighbourhood poverty level within this population in New York City. METHODS: HIV-positive men who reported sex with men and did not report IDU at the time of HIV diagnosis, diagnosed through 2015 and alive as of 2000, were matched to people with HCV first reported to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene between 2000 and 2015. Those with HCV reported before or within 90 days of HIV infection were excluded. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was fit to compare the association between HCV diagnosis, race/ethnicity and neighbourhood poverty level. RESULTS: From 2000 to 2015, 54 488 non-IDU MSM were diagnosed with HIV, of whom 2762 (5.1%) were diagnosed with HCV after HIV diagnosis, yielding an overall age-adjusted HCV diagnosis rate of 512 per 100 000 person-years. HIV/HCV coinfection was significantly higher among non-Latino blacks (adjusted HR (aHR)=1.24, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.40) compared with non-Latino whites and among persons living in high-poverty neighbourhoods compared with those in low-poverty neighbourhoods (aHR=1.17, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.35) after stratification by year of HIV diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Disparities in HIV/HCV coinfection among HIV-positive MSM were observed by race/ethnicity and neighbourhood poverty level. Routine HCV screening is recommended for people infected with HIV. People coinfected with HIV and HCV should be linked to HCV care, treated and cured to reduce morbidity and mortality, and to avoid ongoing HCV transmission.

Cost-effectiveness of HIV care coordination scale-up among persons at high risk for sub-optimal HIV care outcomes.

BACKGROUND: A study of a comprehensive HIV Care Coordination Program (CCP) showed effectiveness in increasing viral load suppression (VLS) among PLWH in New York City (NYC). We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a scale-up of the CCP in NYC. METHODS: We incorporated observed effects and costs of the CCP into a computer simulation of HIV in NYC, comparing strategy scale-up with no implementation. The simulation combined a deterministic compartmental model of HIV transmission with a stochastic microsimulation of HIV progression, and was calibrated to NYC HIV epidemiological data from 1997 to 2009. We assessed incremental cost-effectiveness from a health sector perspective using 2017 $US, a 20-year time horizon, and a 3% annual discount rate. We explored two scenarios: (1) two-year average enrollment and (2) continuous enrollment. RESULTS: In scenario 1, scale-up resulted in a cost-per-infection-averted of $898,104 and a cost-per-QALY-gained of $423,721. In sensitivity analyses, scale-up achieved cost-effectiveness if effectiveness increased from RR1.11 to RR1.37 or costs decreased by 41.7%. Limiting the intervention to persons with unsuppressed viral load prior to enrollment (RR1.32) attenuated the cost reduction necessary to 11.5%. In scenario 2, scale-up resulted in a cost-per-infection-averted of $705,171 and cost-per-QALY-gained of $720,970. In sensitivity analyses, scale-up achieved cost-effectiveness if effectiveness increased from RR1.11 to RR1.46 or program costs decreased by 71.3%. Limiting the intervention to persons with unsuppressed viral load attenuated the cost reduction necessary to 38.7%. CONCLUSION: Cost-effective CCP scale-up would require reduced costs and/or focused enrollment within NYC, but may be more readily achieved in cities with lower background VLS levels.

Delayed vesicovaginal fistula after ring pessary usage.

Vaginal pessaries are commonly used in the conservative management of pelvic organ prolapse, and are generally viewed as safe alternatives to surgery. Serious complications are rare, but can and do arise, typically as a result of the pessary not being fitted and maintained correctly. This case describes delayed development of a vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) 8 months after vaginal ulceration was noted and the ring pessary removed. The 82-year-old patient was managed with a urinary diversion via ileal conduit. This case highlights the importance of meticulous follow-up when a pessary is removed in the setting of ulceration. It is the third documented case of a genitourinary fistula resulting from a vaginal ring pessary, and is the first reported case of this surgical technique being successfully used in this setting.

Health literacy, acculturation, and the use of preventive oral health care by Somali refugees living in massachusetts.

This study investigated the impact of English health literacy and spoken proficiency and acculturation on preventive dental care use among Somali refugees in Massachusetts. 439 adult Somalis in the US ≤10 years were interviewed. English functional health literacy, dental word recognition, and spoken proficiency were measured using STOFHLA, REALD, and BEST Plus. Logistic regression tested associations of language measures with preventive dental care use. Without controlling for acculturation, participants with higher health literacy were 2.0 times more likely to have had preventive care (P = 0.02). Subjects with higher word recognition were 1.8 times as likely to have had preventive care (P = 0.04). Controlling for acculturation, these were no longer significant, and spoken proficiency was not associated with increased preventive care use. English health literacy and spoken proficiency were not associated with preventive dental care. Other factors, like acculturation, were more predictive of care use than language skills.

Vitamin D deficiency among newly resettled refugees in Massachusetts.

Previous studies have indicated that vitamin D deficiency is widespread among immigrants and refugees. This study sought to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among a large and diverse cohort of refugees in Massachusetts to assess its significance for routine refugee health screening of refugees. 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels for 2,610 refugees screened between 2007 and 2009 were used to estimate vitamin D status and to examine the relationship between deficiency or insufficiency and age, gender, regional origin, and season of testing. Among those tested, 78 % were either vitamin D insufficient or deficient. Insufficiency or deficiency was most prevalent in refugees from the Middle East (89 %) and lowest in those from the Caribbean (59 %). Risk was higher among women than among men from some regions, such as the Middle East, but not others. For women, the likelihood of deficiency increased with age, while for men, the likelihood of deficiency was similar for preschool children and men at the height of their working years. The high overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiency suggests that empiric supplementation or treatment may be preferred to testing until more is known about the long-term epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency and its consequences.

Women in resource-poor settings are at risk of inadequate intakes of multiple micronutrients.

A systematic review was conducted to identify all studies that were published between 1988 and 2008 reporting micronutrient intakes of women in resource-poor settings. Inclusion criteria were study location (resource-poor), dietary assessment method (24-h recall, estimated/weighed record, or locally validated FFQ), energy and 1 or more micronutrient intakes reported (vitamin A, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, iron, or zinc), age range (15-50 y), sample size (≥30), and sex (female). Of the 1560 papers identified, 52 papers were included. Results showed that, except for vitamin A (29%), vitamin C (34%), and niacin (34%), the reported mean/median intakes in over 50% of studies were below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR). Folate intake was most often below EAR (91% of studies). Regional differences were apparent for intakes of vitamins A, C, and B-6 and riboflavin; mean/median intakes in Latin America exceeded the EAR, whereas in Asia, reported mean/median intakes of vitamin C, vitamin A, and riboflavin were below the EAR in 47, 50, and 77% of the studies, respectively, as was the case for vitamin B-6 in 75% of the studies in Africa. These results suggest that inadequate intakes of multiple micronutrients are common among women living in resource-poor settings and emphasize the need for increased attention to the quality of women's diets. There is a need for more high-quality studies of women's micronutrient intakes.

Informal urban settlements and cholera risk in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: As a result of poor economic opportunities and an increasing shortage of affordable housing, much of the spatial growth in many of the world's fastest-growing cities is a result of the expansion of informal settlements where residents live without security of tenure and with limited access to basic infrastructure. Although inadequate water and sanitation facilities, crowding and other poor living conditions can have a significant impact on the spread of infectious diseases, analyses relating these diseases to ongoing global urbanization, especially at the neighborhood and household level in informal settlements, have been infrequent. To begin to address this deficiency, we analyzed urban environmental data and the burden of cholera in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Cholera incidence was examined in relation to the percentage of a ward's residents who were informal, the percentage of a ward's informal residents without an improved water source, the percentage of a ward's informal residents without improved sanitation, distance to the nearest cholera treatment facility, population density, median asset index score in informal areas, and presence or absence of major roads. We found that cholera incidence was most closely associated with informal housing, population density, and the income level of informal residents. Using data available in this study, our model would suggest nearly a one percent increase in cholera incidence for every percentage point increase in informal residents, approximately a two percent increase in cholera incidence for every increase in population density of 1000 people per km(2) in Dar es Salaam in 2006, and close to a fifty percent decrease in cholera incidence in wards where informal residents had minimally improved income levels, as measured by ownership of a radio or CD player on average, in comparison to wards where informal residents did not own any items about which they were asked. In this study, the range of access to improved sanitation and improved water sources was quite narrow at the ward level, limiting our ability to discern relationships between these variables and cholera incidence. Analysis at the individual household level for these variables would be of interest. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that ongoing global urbanization coupled with urban poverty will be associated with increased risks for certain infectious diseases, such as cholera, underscoring the need for improved infrastructure and planning as the world's urban population continues to expand.