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Cost and Threshold Analysis of Positive Charge, a Multi-site Linkage to HIV Care Program in the United States

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Abstract

Positive Charge (PC) is a linkage to HIV care initiative implemented by AIDS United with sites in New York, Chicago, Louisiana, North Carolina, and the San Francisco/Bay Area. This study employed standard methods of cost and threshold analyses, as recommended by the US Panel on Cost-effectiveness in Health and Medicine, to calculate cost-saving and cost effective thresholds of the initiative. The overall societal cost of the linkage to care programs ranged from $48,490 to $370,525. The study found that PC’s five unique evidence-based linkage to care programs have relatively low costs per client served and highly achievable cost-saving and cost-effectiveness thresholds. The findings from this study suggest that HIV linkage to care programs have the potential to be a highly productive use of public health resources.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the PC intervention staff for their dedication and for the individuals who participated in the PC intervention. This evaluation project is supported by a grant from AIDS United to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The overall Positive Charge Project was supported by a grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) to AIDS United. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health only had a relationship with AIDS United (not BMS). We would also like to acknowledge those whose who took time to review the manuscript. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of AIDS United, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, or the grantees of the Positive Charge initiative.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jeeyon Janet Kim, Cathy Maulsby, Rose Zulliger, Kriti Jain, Melissa Davey-Rothwell & David R. Holtgrave

  2. AIDS United, Washington, DC, USA

    Vignetta Charles & Maura Riordan

Authors
  1. Jeeyon Janet Kim
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  2. Cathy Maulsby
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  3. Rose Zulliger
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  4. Kriti Jain
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  5. Vignetta Charles
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  6. Maura Riordan
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  7. Melissa Davey-Rothwell
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  8. David R. Holtgrave
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Consortia

The Positive Charge Intervention Team

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cathy Maulsby.

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Conflict of interest

The PC initiative was supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AIDS United. AIDS United executed and monitored the contract to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health to evaluate the program. The authors do not have any conflicts of interest to report at this time.

Additional information

The members of the PC Intervention Team: Peter Messeri and Maiko Yomogida (Columbia University, New York City, New York); Goldie Komaie, Michael Rivers, and Roman Buenrostro (AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois); and Sarah Chrestman and Karen Mason (Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, Louisiana).

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Kim, J.J., Maulsby, C., Zulliger, R. et al. Cost and Threshold Analysis of Positive Charge, a Multi-site Linkage to HIV Care Program in the United States. AIDS Behav 19, 1735–1741 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1124-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1124-9

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