Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2007 2008 2009

Details for Mechanism ID: 5247
Country/Region: Guyana
Year: 2008
Main Partner: Catholic Relief Services
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: FBO
Funding Agency: HHS/HRSA
Total Funding: $156,360

Funding for Treatment: ARV Drugs (HTXD): $27,832

Track One Funding

Funding for Treatment: Adult Treatment (HTXS): $128,528

AIDSRelief continues to support HIV care and treatment services in both the private and public sector. In

the public sector AIDSRelief continues to support Bartica Public Hospital, and continues to facilitate

linkages with Mazaruni Prison and complementary HIV services (e.g. PMTCT). Frequent onsite visits are

made regularly by both the AIDSRelief physician and also the Pediatric HIV consultant. AIDSRelief

maintains close contact with the adherence nurse coordinator in order to discuss any problems that may

have arisen.

In the private sector AIDSRelief continues to support St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (SJMH) and has expanded

services to Davis Memorial Hospital, which is located in Region 4 and is the only other faith-based hospital

in Guyana. The addition of Davis Memorial Hospital as a treatment site further expands the options and

choices for those wishing to access care and treatment services for HIV in the private sector, as evidenced

by the rapid scale-up at this site since October 2006.

In FY2008, AIDSRelief will continue to build local HIV technical capacity with increasing attention to

pediatric and adolescent HIV treatment. AIDSRelief will support the newly formed adolescent clinic at St.

Joseph Mercy Hospital with onsite didactics and mentoring, as well as, providing off site training at

University of Maryland's School of Medicine Adolescent HIV clinic. In supporting the adolescent HIV clinic

at SJMH, AIDSRelief is increasing the quality and spectrum of care that is provided to a very vulnerable

population, those caught between childhood and adulthood. SJMH will also integrate a registered nurse

into the HIV program to provide follow-up care and facilitate patient-flow and linkages with other programs

(e.g. OVC, PMTCT). Additionally, to further support pediatric treatment at our LPTFs, AIDSRelief will recruit

a local pediatric HIV specialist to mentor staff at all sites.

In FY2008, the in-country IHV physician will continue to provide ongoing support and assistance to the

LPTFs through didactics and on-site mentoring, and additionally liaises with USG in-country and MOH

partners on technical issues related to HIV care and treatment. AIDSRelief will provide additional technical

assistance in the areas of psychosocial support, pharmacy support, adherence, laboratory monitoring,

strategic information and financial management.

In order to ensure that high quality care is being delivered, AIDSRelief will continue to monitor for unmet

needs in the health care delivery system through the AIDSRelief Continuous Quality Assurance/Quality

Improvement program. This will be implemented with six fundamental components: 1) continuous

observation and measurement of standards of care delivery and program management, 2) measuring

success of treatment outcomes through viral suppression, immune reconstitution, morbidity, mortality, and

lost to follow up over time, 3) linking available patient health information and program characteristics as a

predictor of treatment outcomes, 4) collecting information on adherence to treatment and treatment support,

5) comprehensive and useful feedback of the information, and 6) utilization of outcomes analysis to design

site specific improvement activities. Through this continuous quality improvement plan, sites (with technical

assistance from IHV and Constella Futures) will be able to use data to affect change in the quality of service

provided.

In FY2008, AIDSRelief will also continue to augment capacity and services at its LPTFs and strengthen

linkages with complementary services (i.e. home based care, nutritional support, family planning services)

in order to provide greater access to care and treatment services. AIDSRelief, through IHV, will also

enhance its role to collaborate with in-country partners in providing training opportunities, lectures, and

workshops for local HIV treatment providers, in both the public and private sector, to build the technical

capacity of local clinicians and other members of the healthcare team to promote sustainability and to

empower them to inform future policy and standards related to HIV care.