Opportunity
The Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) was designed to prevent substance use and HIV/AIDS among at-risk minorities in communities disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. This evaluation focuses on four MAI grant programs overseen by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.
Approach
HSRI was the evaluator for a SAMHSA/CMHS grant (HIV/AIDS Related Mental Health Services in Minority Communities) provided to the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) to apply the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model to persons with HIV/AIDS and mental illness. CHA provides ACT to clients served by four community partners (Cambridge Cares About Aids, Concilio Hispano, Inc., Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers, and the Tri-City Community Action Program) which operate specialized services targeting persons in racial and ethnic minority groups who are HIV-positive. The evaluation included the collection of client outcomes data, assessment of cultural competence, service utilization data, and fidelity monitoring.
Impact
The results of this evaluation have sparked changes in policies and practices related to substance use and HIV prevention by identifying the types of strategies that work best for specific at-risk subpopulations.