Linking Patients to Care Through ARTAS Program

Our Linkage Services Department is actively connecting patients to the Anti-Retroviral Treatment and Access to Services (ARTAS) program, a multi-session intervention for individuals who have been recently diagnosed with HIV or those living with HIV/AIDS. Through ARTAS, our Linkage to Care Coordinators make the link between patients and primary care providers or ancillary support services.

Together, the coordinator and patient identify strengths, and integrate them into a plan for adhering to medical care and accomplishing other goals. Our coordinators meet patients where they are and sessions are held in the patient’s environment outside the office, whenever possible. Based on the patient needs, coordinators link each patient to community resources such as our Housing Services Department or Care Resource’s subsidiary food pantry, the Food for Life Network (FFLN).

This is a time-limited intervention that includes at most five sessions conducted over a 90-day period or until the patient is linked to medical care – whichever comes first. Eligible patients should be within 6– 12 months of receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis and 18 years of age or older. Patients should not have been on anti-retroviral treatment or received case management or social work services for HIV-related needs prior to meeting with our coordinators.

We encourage our community members to get tested for HIV and know their status. No one should delay their entry into quality HIV care. Early linkage to medical care improves health outcomes, enables patients to maximize the quality of their lives, and protects our communities from HIV transmission.

For access to HIV testing at our health center locations click here. For more information on at-home HIV tests, click here.

Get linked into HIV care today. For more information, please contact:

James Lecounte
Linkage Services Manager
(305) 576-1234 ext. 245
jlecounte@careresource.org