Vietnam is facing two massive challenges in its fight against HIV – achieving HIV epidemic control and doing so with rapidly declining external donor funding. Overcoming these challenges requires reaching and treating people living with HIV (PLHIV) as efficiently as possible. The USAID Sustainable HIV Response from Technical Assistance (SHIFT) Project recently trained representatives of Blue Sky Club, a civil society group based in Ho Chi Minh City, to counsel every diagnosed PLHIV on the importance of getting HIV treatment and making treatment services accessible to the men-who-have-sex-with-men community. Last week, Blue Sky Club’s FY17 third quarter data showed that they had successfully linked 100% of the 277 people diagnosed with HIV during the quarter to treatment services, versus other groups in the city which had a less than 50% linkage rate. So what? USAID SHIFT and Blue Sky Club are exemplifying efficient use of valuable time and resources otherwise spent on tracking down and convincing previously diagnosed PLHIV to enroll in treatment.
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