4 - (SYM 134 Status Neutral Psycho-behavioral Capacity Building in Low-threshold Settings for People Who Use Drugs in Boston

Untreated psycho-behavioral needs are barriers to existing efforts to increase engagement in HIV prevention and care for people who use drugs (PWUD). While the reasons for limited access to evidence-based psycho-behavioral interventions are multifactorial (including policy and structural barriers), the importance of this topic is well documented in the literature and echoed by colleagues in public health and community-based organizations (CBOs) across Boston and Suffolk County, an Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) priority area. To facilitate increased engagement in HIV prevention and care among PWUD, capacity building efforts are needed to enable those already serving PWUD with and vulnerable to HIV to deliver modified evidence-based brief psycho-behavioral interventions. To do this, a clinical psychologist-led research team collaborated with staff and peers from the low-threshold programs (i.e., mobile units, drop-in centers, and low-threshold housing) from Victory Programs – one of the largest CBOs serving PWUD with and vulnerable to HIV in Suffolk Country. Consistent with the EPIS (Exploration, Adoption/Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment) implementation science model, we first explored and identified four prioritized psycho-behavioral needs via a series of focus groups with staff, peers, and clients from the low-threshold programs (n=9). Four priority areas were identified: 1) safety training for staff and clients, with a focus on psychosis; 2) trauma-informed care; 3) behavioral strategies to increase health engagement, with a focus on psychiatric care; and 4) staff well-being to reduce burnout. We then iteratively and collaboratively selected and adapted evidence-based content that could address each of these priorities. This resulted in preparing a curriculum to be implemented via an in-person staff training and a virtually available resource webpage for Victory Programs staff to access as needed (including videos from the training, slides outlining the content, and related resources). The resource website will be maintained by Victory Programs’ staff to provide sustained access to the collaboratively refined intervention content. Next, we will evaluate the perceived acceptability, feasibility, accessibility, and utility of the training and resource webpage to inform future refinement, sustainability, and the possibility of sharing curriculum and web-based content with other CBOs across the Suffolk County EHE priority area and more broadly to end the HIV epidemic.