The University of South Florida (USF) Department of Pediatrics is the soleprovider of comprehensive care to HIV-infected children and adolescents in ten counties throughout central and southwest Florida. Cumulative HIV Surveillance Data shows that 434 youth have been identified as HIV- infected in our catchment area; 249 of these have been identified in the past two years. The university and its network of community providers have embraced efforts to expand outreach and education to adolescents and have researched ways to effectively communicate with its population. The USF Adolescent HIV Program plan to contribute this local expertise to the national adolescent scientific agenda and provide youth with maximal opportunity for state of the art care. To accomplish this goal, the following objectives will be met. Develop an Adolescent Medicine Trial Unit (AMTU) at USF in Tampa utilizing existing infrastructure. This infrastructure includes the Adolescence HIV Program that provides primary and specialty care services, Adult HIV Program providing care at USF and the Hillsborough County Health Department, and the Florida Family AIDS Network, a Title IV Program USF has established partnerships in the community with agencies that provide HIV case management, outreach testing and education services. These partners will ensure an ability to provide comprehensive education services to adolescents and to assist in the recruitment of high-risk youth for our studies. Recruit and enroll 75 HIV infected youth from the existing clinic population and from expanded efforts to identify and ensure youth are referred to the clinic for care. Recruit 125 HIV-youth who are at high risk by utilizing existing source most importantly our University Clinic, Health Department family planning, STD, pediatrics and maternal health clinics, the Regional Early Intervention Consultant (EIC), and community AIDS service organizations. Collaborate with the Adolescent Medicine Trial Group to develop and evaluate innovative programs to reach youth and share and evaluate the innovations this community has developed to educate youth about HIV. Enroll HIV infected adolescents in treatment trials and evaluate the barriers to enrollment and retention. This would include not only new therapies, but also new approaches such as once daily and direct observed therapy protocols. The inclusion of USF Adolescent HIV Program as an AMTU will further the efforts to identify, prevent and treat HIV in this area of the country where minority and youth infection is rising at alarming rates.
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