Practice Title: HIV Prevention Integration with Monkeypox Vaccination Efforts in Gwinnett County, GA
Department: Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale County Health Departments
Size: Large (Population of 500,000+ people)
State: Georgia
Summary of Practice:
Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments (GNR Public Health) works to protect and improve the overall health of the population served by the three county public health district in metro Atlanta, GA. GNR Public Health strives to meet the health related needs of over 1.2 million residents through education, prevention, preparedness, regulation and clinical services. GNR Public Health envisions a healthy, protected and prepared community, with a mission to protect and improve the health of our community by monitoring and preventing disease, promoting health and well-being and preparing for disasters.
Gwinnett County, the largest county of the district, located in the northeast suburbs of the Atlanta metropolitan area, has seen explosive growth for the past few decades. The county population has grown from 72,349 in 1970 to 946,546 as of July 1, 2021. In addition to explosive population growth, the County’s population has become increasingly diverse, both racially and ethnically. According to the most recent U.S. census estimate for 2021, 51.9% of the population was White alone, 30.8% was Black or African American alone, 13.2% was Asian alone, and 22.2% was Hispanic or Latino. The diversity of the population served presents unique challenges, as well as opportunities, for collaborative prevention models of care to support the overall health of our community.
Gwinnett County’s designation as one of the 57 jurisdictions with the highest rates of new HIV infections has come at a time where focus on infectious diseases has been identified as an area of great concern. The proportion of Gwinnett County residents living with HIV has more than quadrupled from 96 per 100,000 in 2008, to 413 per 100,000 in 2020. Among Gwinnett residents, the HIV epidemic has disproportionately impacted the Black and Hispanic communities, specifically among the LGBTQ+ Black and Hispanic populations. Federal, state and county resources have been leveraged to build community level prevention and disease control programs as GNR Public Health works collaboratively to build capacity and improve infectious disease prevention, specifically among the populations disproportionately affected by HIV.
The global Mpox outbreak in 2022 had a tremendous impact, predominately among the LGBTQ+ population, throughout metropolitan Atlanta including Gwinnett County. GA reported 1,984 cases of Mpox, with cases being disproportionally reported among the metro Atlanta LGBTQ+ population. Nationally, 38% of Mpox cases reported having been diagnosed with HIV; among GA residents, 60% reported HIV infection; and among Gwinnett Mpox cases, 26% reported immunosuppression including HIV infection. The rapid rise in cases, coupled with limited vaccine resources and federal and state vaccine eligibility requirements necessitated a rapid, strategic response to protect the health of the populations served. The collaborative response practice leveraged existing HIV prevention functionality, paired with extensive mass vaccination and disease control response efforts, to implement holistic Mpox and HIV prevention and control.
Rapid HIV testing, utilization of take-home HIV test kits, PrEP referrals, enrollment in condom subscription program, and STI/HIV/Mpox/COVID prevention education efforts were prioritized in all GNR Public Health Mpox vaccination efforts. In an effort to gain the trust of the at-risk population, initial mass vaccination efforts were carried out in collaboration with the primary Gwinnett HIV care organization and advertised through community based organizations involved in local HIV prevention services. From July 10 – December 15, 2022, a total of 7,493 Jynneos Mpox vaccines were administered by GNR Public Health. Eighty-five percent of vaccines were administered to residents of Gwinnett, DeKalb, Fulton, and Cobb Counties, all of which are designated as jurisdictions with the highest rates of HIV infection in the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative. Fourty-one percent of vaccine recipients were Black and 11% were Hispanic. Vaccination operations included mass vaccination walk-in and drive-thru clinics, as well as integration of Jynneos administration into general Public Health clinical services. Among all Mpox vaccination operations, HIV prevention efforts, including rapid HIV testing, were incorporated. This included HIV testing utilizing drive-thru tents during a mass Mpox drive-thru vaccination event where 2,309 individuals were immunized ahead of Atlanta Black Pride in September, 2022. All vaccine recipients were also provide free home COVID-19 test kits and prevention education. Among Mpox vaccination recipients, 10 individuals were identified to be HIV positive; all were linked to care within 48 hours.
The Mpox response, integrated with HIV Prevention functionality, resulted in a successful, community driven, collaborative response. Leveraging relationships and trust developed through HIV efforts, GNR Public Health was able to rapidly and strategically implement Mpox prevention including mass vaccination clinics serving the LGBTQ+ populations. The relationships and efforts implemented through the ongoing HIV prevention efforts allowed for a rapid, strategic, community driven Mpox response, incorporating wrap around HIV prevention functionality.
www.gnrhealth.com – www.SURGEGNR.com
HIV Prevention Integration with Monkeypox Vaccination Efforts in Gwinnett County, GA
Category
HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis
Description