[HIV-STD-Prevention] UPDATED INFORMATION: NPAIHB STD/HIV home testing program in Oregon #u#

Wed Sep 13 14:28:48 PDT 2023

Dear LPH Administrators and LPH Officers,
We are writing with an update to the previous 9/1/2023 message (included below) regarding the Northwest Area Portland Indian Health Board’s (NPAIHB) Indigenous I Want the Kit (IIWTK) program. At this time, lab results for chlamydia and gonorrhea from IIWTK will NOT be reported to OHA via ELR. Instead, Johns Hopkins University will send results via eFax to OHA’s HIV/STD/TB (HST) section (971-673-0178).
For now, HST will enter the results into Orpheus and notify the respective LPHA of the new case. NPAIHB is the provider of record and test results will be simultaneously reported to them by Johns Hopkins. Ashley Hoover or Jessica Rienstra from NPAIHB will contact the LPHA to confirm that NPAIHB will be following up (on both gonorrhea and chlamydia cases). We have provided NPAIHB with a list of contacts at each LPHA. Note: Depending on workload, it may take 1-2 days for HST to enter the faxed result into Orpheus so it is possible NPAIHB will call an LPHA before the LPHA is aware of the test results/case.
Johns Hopkins plans its national launch for HIV and syphilis testing though IIWTK around the 1st of November. The launch will begin in Oklahoma with the roll-out in Oregon to follow soon after. Johns Hopkins is considering the addition of HCV testing once syphilis and HIV have gone live.
We anticipate a transition to ELR reporting will be simultaneous with the launch of syphilis and HIV testing to the IIWTK profile. The reporting laboratory will be Preventx, a UK company that recently opened a US laboratory in Cincinnati. OHA’s ELR team is in the initial stages of the onboarding process with Preventx for ELR reporting.
NPAIHB will submit case level data to LPHAs using the Confidential Oregon Morbidity Report  (https://epiweb.oha.state.or.us/fmi/webd/Memento%20Morbi?homeurl=http://healthoregon.org/howtoreport). They will use the Notes field to report patient risk.
For general questions about this project, please contact Lea Bush (lea.bush at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:lea.bush at oha.oregon.gov>). For questions related to specific to STD case investigations, contact Jillian Garai (jillian.d.garai at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:jillian.d.garai at oha.oregon.gov>).

Thank you,

Annick Benson-Scott
Pronouns: she/her/hers
HIV/STD/TB Section Manager
OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY
Public Health Division
Desk: 971-673-0142
Cell: 971-255-7092
Hours: M-F 7:00 am – 3:30 pm
http://www.oregon.gov/OHA

From: Epstein Andrew D <ANDREW.D.EPSTEIN at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:ANDREW.D.EPSTEIN at oha.oregon.gov>>
Sent: Friday, September 1, 2023 3:17 PM
To: LPHA Tribes <lpha.tribes at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:lpha.tribes at oha.oregon.gov>>
Cc: DRACH Linda <Linda.DRACH at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:Linda.DRACH at oha.oregon.gov>>; Goldstein Alison Joy <Alison.Goldstein at odhsoha.oregon.gov<mailto:Alison.Goldstein at odhsoha.oregon.gov>>; BUSH Lea <Lea.BUSH at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:Lea.BUSH at oha.oregon.gov>>; BENSON Annick <Annick.BENSON at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:Annick.BENSON at oha.oregon.gov>>; Garai Jillian D <JILLIAN.D.GARAI at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:JILLIAN.D.GARAI at oha.oregon.gov>>
Subject: #u# INFORMATION: NWPAIHB launching STD/HIV home testing program in Oregon

This message will also be sent to the HIV/STD/TB section’s STD listserv.

Dear LPH Administrators and LPH Officers,

Today, the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (Board) launched a new STD/HIV testing program on called Indigenous I Want the Kit [IIWTK (https://iwantthekit.org/)]. The Oregon launch of IIWTK, which is part of a national home testing program affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, will be launched in 2 phases:

  *   Phase 1 includes gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trich testing (launched September 1)
  *   Phase 2 will include phase syphilis and HIV (launching sometime after November 1 – more information about Phase 2 forthcoming as we learn more).

IIWTK will be marketed specifically to American Indian/Alaska Native people and tribal members, but anyone age 14 or older may use the service.

As part of this program, the Board will be assuming responsibility for the initial follow up on persons with positive test results. Board responsibilities will include:

·        Notifying the patient of their result;

·        Refer patient for treatment;

·        Provide harm reduction and prevention education

·        Confirm treatment was received;

·        Refer patient to Tell Your Partner or a similar service;

·        Refer patient to PrEP services (if HIV-negative);

·        They will NOT be providing traditional partner services activities but will inform patients with positive tests that someone from their respective LPHA may be contacting them for partner services.

Currently, the Board does not have Orpheus access. The Orpheus security oversight team is investigating options to add the Board as an Orpheus user without jeopardizing our security protocols. In the meantime, we are working to a create a reporting tool the Board can use to securely report case follow up information to the respective LPHA after they have completed follow up. The reporting tool will include:

  *   REALD
  *   SOGI
  *   Treatment
  *   Exposure/Risk

In the next few weeks, you may see ELRs for gonorrhea being reported as part of IWTK. We have not seen an example of the ELRs yet, but the reporting laboratory should be Johns Hopkins and/or there could be some designation of the ELR indicating it is from I Want the Kit.  Please process these ELRs as you normally would but do not begin follow up activities. The test results will be simultaneously reported to the Board, and we have asked them to contact the LPHA of record to confirm they will be following up. We will be providing the Board with a list of primary contacts at each LPHA to call.

Ashley Hoover and Jessica Rienstra from the Board will be contacting patients. Their contact information is:
ahoover at npaihb.org<mailto:ahoover at npaihb.org>
jrienstra at npaihb.org<mailto:jrienstra at npaihb.org>

If you want to learn more about this project, Ashley will be providing a brief introduction of IWTK at the September 14th Orpheus Users Group Webinar.

The Board also presented information about IIWTK along with background about HIV/STI in Indian Country at a recent End HIV/STI Oregon Statewide Planning Group meeting. Notes from that meeting can be found at:
https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/HIVSTDVIRALHEPATITIS/IPG/Documents/Notes_OSPG_Mtg-8-16-23.pdf

As always, please feel free to contact us with questions - Lea Bush (lea.bush at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:lea.bush at oha.oregon.gov>) or Jillian Garai (jillian.d.garai at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:jillian.d.garai at oha.oregon.gov>).

Thank you,

Annick Benson-Scott
Pronouns: she/her/hers
HIV/STD/TB Section Manager
OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY
Public Health Division
Desk: 971-673-0142
Cell: 971-255-7092
Hours: M-F 7:00 am – 3:30 pm
http://www.oregon.gov/OHA
[cid:image001.png at 01D9E63A.B5DF9240]<http://www.endhivoregon.org/>

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