Ryan White 2012 Grantee Meeting

Access to high-quality primary and specialty care by HIV/AIDS-infected patients in rural and underserved areas continues to be a major challenge. The Florida/Caribbean AIDS Education and Training Center (F/C AETC) addresses this challenge through the Project ECHO™ (Extending Community Health Outcomes) program. The F/CAETC model uses Adobe Connect Pro, a live audio-video-based platform, to connect a multidisciplinary team of specialists in HIV/AIDS and community healthcare providers treating HIV patients in rural and underserved areas in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This innovative telehealth program is aimed at developing capacity among the health care providers to safely and effectively treat patients with HIV/AIDS. Implementation and evaluation of the F/C AETC-Project ECHO™ program is described followed by presentation of preliminary evaluation findings and future direction of the project. The session also highlights the importance of mixed methods approach in program evaluation.

Learning Objectives:

• By the end of this session, participants will be able to describe how F/C AETC-Project ECHO™ was implemented, the challenges encountered in that process, and how they can model the program in their respective centers.
• By the end of this session, participants will be able to describe the impact of F/C AETC-Project ECHO™ on health care providers’ knowledge, skills, attitude, and behavior and other potential outcomes of this educational intervention.
• By the end of this session, participants will be able to articulate the value of mixed methods approach in the evaluation of F/C AETC-Project ECHO™ program.