Publications - Released in 2016
Many men who have sex with men and many transgender people avoid HIV testing services even when such services are available. They do so mainly because of (actual or perceived) stigma by health care providers and inconvenient locations or opening hours. This typically means they are unaware of their HIV status, cannot access life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART) and may be spreading the disease to their partners, thus perpetuating the HIV epidemic.
Outreach workers have for many years had a critical role in disseminating HIV prevention information and commodities (condoms and lubricant), identifying undiagnosed HIV infection among men who have sex with men and among transgender people and in facilitating access to HIV counselling and testing services.
One critical role of outreach workers is to identify people who have not been reached by HIV services. There are numerous models for achieving this reach, including (but not necessarily limited to) targeted face-to-face outreach in locations where men who have sex with men and transgender people gather, so-called “cyber outreach” via internet and social media platforms and peer-driven recruitment models wherein our clients help us recruit additional members of our targeted audiences.