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T H C MBA
T H E M E T R O H E A LT H S Y S T E M ' S
Compa ss Ser v ices is the recipient of
a $1 . 2 m i l l ion g ra nt f rom T he U. S .
Depa r t ment of Hea lt h a nd Hu m a n
Ser v ices to create a n app for young
adults living with HI V. MetroHea lth
i s one of t en or ga n i z at ion s a cr o s s
t h e Un i t e d S t a t e s t o b e a w a r d e d
the funding.
The demonstration projects were
chosen ba sed on proposa ls outlining
innovative socia l media met hods to
identif y, link, a nd reta in HI V-positive
underser ved, underinsured, ha rd-to-
reach yout h a nd young adu lts (a ges
13-34) in HI V prima r y ca re a nd sup-
por tive ser vices.
Compass Services, a support program
oŸered at MetroHealth for people living
with HIV/AIDS, will use the funding to
create the Positive Peers App which will
provide health management tools and a
virtual community to connect people
ages 13–34 living with HIV. The app will
feature information, social networking
and self-management tools to support
H I V-related holistic ca re. Positive
Peers will be made ava ilable to this
young adult population at MetroHealth
as a password-protected application,
accessible only through a confidential
registration process.
MetroHealth is partnering with two
local Cleveland companies, Blue Star
Desig n a nd Blackbird, to create the
application architecture, content and
tools for the Positive Peers app, which will
support and improve retention in care
and clinical outcomes for young patients
living with HIV/AIDS. An evaluator from
Kent State University's School of Public
Health will investigate the associations
of user engagement and activation with
self-management behavior, perceptions
of stigma and retention in HIV care.
For more i n for m at ion a bout t he
g ra nt a nd other w inners, v isit hab.
hrsa.gov/abouthab/special/socialmedia.
html#5.
For more information about Positive
Peers, visit positivepeers.org ■
to Create App for Young People with HIV
MetroHealth Awarded $1.2 million
M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C L E V E L A N D /A K R O N / C A N T O N
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