Southeast Practice Transformation Expansion Project
Addressing Stigma Through Culture Change and "Moving the Needle"
The Practice Transformation Expansion (PTE) program adds additional elements to the PT program by partnering with primary care clinics located in the 220 counties identified by the CDC for being at risk for an HIV/HCV outbreak due to injection drug use. These clinics receive additional training on identifying and addressing substance misuse in patients and providing medical care for HIV/HCV coinfection.
About the Southeast Practice Transformation Expansion Project (SEPTEP)
Funded by the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), SEPTEP aimed to provide training and technical assistance to health centers, by developing effective partnerships with the AETC for education and training, in high-risk areas from the Southeast region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tenessee).
Goal of Southeast AETC SEPTEP Program
The goal of the Southeast Practice Transformation Expansion Project (SEPTEP) was to train selected health center champions, administrators, providers and staff in HIV screening, testing, and linkage to care. The SEPTEP project also endeavored to address stigma and other social barriers by applying culture change leadership in an effort to “move the needle” in the following areas:
- Implementing opt-out HIV testing
- Establishing linkages to HIV care
- Creating a stigma-free, culturally humble clinical setting
- Integrating sexual history taking into all visits
- Presribing Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to patients at risk
