Preventing Aids through Collaborative Efforts

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Project PACE: Preventing AIDS through Collaborative Efforts
Research Method: Intervention Research
Principal Investigators: Serafin Mendez, Ph.D., LCS (PI), Merrill Singer, Ph.D., HHC (Co-PI), Margaret R. Weeks, Ph.D. ICR (Co-PI)
Grant: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention U65/CCU118630, primary grantee - Latinos Contra
Partners: Latinos/as Contra SIDA (LCS), Hispanic Health Council (HHC), Institute for Community Research (ICR)
Dates of Study: 2000-2004

Abstract
Research indicates that effective HIV prevention must be grounded in the context of local needs, population characteristics, risk behavior and resources. Project PACE seeks to lower HIV risk among inner-city Latino and African American youth, women and illicit drug users in Hartford, CT. Specifically, the project targets sexually active youth ages 16-24, female commercial sex workers and other at-risk women, and injection drug users and crack cocaine users at risk through drug use or sexual relations. Prevention components include: a) culturally competent and socially sensitive group-level prevention education and support through the use of trained peer educators; b) enhanced individual prevention case management; and c) exploratory street outreach to hidden "high risk pockets" of drug users and commercial sex workers.

Project Goals and Objectives


	Foster risk reducing behavioral changes in project target groups through individual prevention case management.
	Provide group level prevention education to a minimum of 450 individuals, focused on knowledge, skills development and peer modeling to affect behavior change among target group individuals in institutional settings (e.g., shelters, treatment centers, half-way houses).
	Recruit, train and deploy approximately 48/year supervised peer educators who will assist in leading group level interventions.
	Identify and link 40-45% of participants to community services.
	Conduct an exploratory outreach component for late-night prevention targeting hidden and high-risk individuals.

Project Details
Project PACE is a collaboration between three community-based organizations in Hartford, CT: Latinos/as Contra SIDA (LCS), the Hispanic Health Council (HHC) and the Institute for Community Research. Latinos/as Contra SIDA is the primary grantee and in charge of project implementation. As a one-year subcontractor, the Institute for Community Research worked in close collaboration with both LCS and HHC in project design and development, assisted in the development of curriculum for the group level intervention and peer education, and developed the evaluation instrument. The 3-session intervention curriculum incorporates role plays, videos, dilemmas, and group norms construction, using information from the participants as the basis for discussion. The peer-education curriculum is designed as a nine-session process that gives participants information on both HIV/AIDS prevention and facilitation techniques. ICR's work on the project was completed in 2002, with LCS and HHC continuing project implementation.

Project Contact:
Margaret R. Weeks, Ph.D
Associate Director

Project Staff:
Robert Rooks, MSW, Contract Supervisor
Mark Little,
Health Educator

Link to Research Methods page

Link to Intervention Research Methods page

Links to other related sites (external links)
Latinos/as Contra SIDA
Hispanic Health Council
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention