From 2008 to 2021, an annual average of approximately 11,400 people was tested for HIV by CT DPH HIV Prevention Program’s funded agencies conducting targeted HIV testing in non-healthcare settings. The HIV testing intervention model Counseling, Testing and Referral (CTR) was implemented from 2008 to 2012, and in 2013 the CT DPH HIV Prevention Program decided to implement a newer model named Outreach, Testing and Linkage (OTL). This model was designed to reach people at highest risk of HIV infection.  After implementing OTL, there was a 5.2% decrease in the number of people tested for HIV from 2012 to 2013.  Since the OTL model focuses on reaching people at the highest risk of HIV which include Men who have sex with men (MSM), People who inject drugs (PWID), and communities of color.  Fewer people were tested; however, these people were the most at-risk of acquiring HIV.  From 2017 to present, there was decrease in number of HIV testing events.  This decrease was primarily due funding more agencies for routine testing services (RTS) and having OTL funded agencies focus on the highest risk populations.  The 15,000 annual HIV testing events target was generated by CDC's and CT DPH HIV Prevention Program contract agreement. 

Note. YR 2021 data updated on March, 2022; YR 2022 data will be updated on: June, 2023

Key partners that are impacted by the objective(s) are: DPH HIV Prevention Program staff; The Connecticut HIV Planning Consortia (CHPC); Ending the Syndemic Commission, CT HIV Funders Group; HIV Prevention Services Funded Agencies; Consumers & Clients; The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); HRSA; CT DPH STD program; Disease Intervention Specialists; CT DPH HIV Surveillance Program; and Healthcare and Support Services.

Strategies based on best practices/evidence-based criteria used or needed to achieve the objective (s): Using community mapping to identify locations where specific HIV risk targeted populations are located within the state of Connecticut; Using Social Networks HIV testing strategies and couples testing (i.e., Testing Together Intervention) to test people within specific HIV risk categories; Conducting social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, etc.) outreach to recruit more people for HIV testing; Requiring all funded agencies implementing HIV Prevention interventions to have an HIV testing component; HIV testing performance standards, measures and targets are based on: The National HIV AIDS Strategy and domestic HIV epidemic data.

Community mapping; Social networks HIV testing; Social media targeted outreach; Outreach, Testing, and Linkage (OTL) strategy; Provide agencies with HIV testing, HIV surveillance and STDs data for decision making; Provided agencies with geocoded HIV risk groups by zip code information; Monitor and Evaluate (M&E) HIV testing activities