The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recognized PositiveLinks, a mobile platform designed and implemented at UVA’s Ryan White Clinic, as an evidence-based best practice to support the care of people with HIV. The Best Practices Compilation identifies interventions that improve outcomes from federally-funded programs that care for people with HIV, and it shares them to support replication in other settings. PositiveLInks, begun as a research project 10 years ago and led by Dr. Rebecca Dillingham and Dr. Karen Ingersoll in partnership with a team of public health and software development team members, provides self-management tools, secure communication with team members, an anonymous community message board, and educational resources. Patient use of PositiveLinks is associated with improved clinical outcomes as well as improvement in social support and reduction in stigma. The team is excited to receive the recognition and looks forward to continuing to support implementation of the intervention in other settings. Currently, PositiveLinks is replicated in six other sites in Virginia and in five other states.
Filed Under: Honors & Awards, Research