Title

Community monitoring of HIV services for key populations during COVID-19

Code

GVSY16

Session Type

Global Village Session Panel Discussion

Format

Hybrid

CME accreditation

ROOM/CHANNEL

Global village channel/room 2

Date Time

31 July 12:00 - 13:00

Building the capacity of community groups to monitor and advocate for improved HIV and health services is a key strategy to increase the accountability of decision makers, healthcare providers and funders in the Caribbean region. This panel session is designed as an interactive panel discussion to: present the lessons learned from a community-led monitor intervention carried out by the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) in the Caribbean basin during the COVID19 pandemic; better understand the health challenges facing service providers and empower key populations to lead in resolving the challenges through engagement with relevant stakeholders; and ensure that key population groups are actively engaged in monitoring and offering solutions to health and HIV-related advocacy issues affecting the care and treatment services they receive. Through a ViiV Healthcare grant, CVC set up a community-led monitoring (CLM) scorecard system to hold PEPFAR-funded organizations accountable for the prevention and health services they provide to key population in Central America and the Caribbean. The intervention involved facilitating stakeholder consensus on a standardized minimum set of data indicators to be included in a community-based monitoring scorecard, as well as establishing and operating a functioning CLM system for the effective monitoring of HIV care and treatment services for key populations. The score cards were subsequently used to work with the lower scoring providers to make their services more key population-led or competent, building their capacity to better meet the prevention and health demands of key population groups. During the session, panellists will present the CLM process from the perspective of a person living with HIV, a provider and a duty bearer. Participants will learn about how the scorecard methodology can be used as a consensus-building and cost-effective tool for monitoring, and by highlighting low-performing providers, it helps in improving the quality of services provided at ART centres.

Presentations
Rapporteur Summary

12:00 5 min	Introduction Elinelsy CASTILO RODRIGUEZ, Sigue Mis Pasos, Dominican Republic

12:05 10 min	Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition’s scorecard methodology Elias RAMOS, Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, Dominican Republic	Slides

12:15 10 min	The scorecard from the perspective of a provider Roberto Ilisch David Camejo GONZALEZ, Proactividad para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Social (PROACTIVIDAD), Dominican Republic

12:25 10 min	The scorecard methodology from the perspective of a user Stacy VELASQUEZ, Organización Trans Reinas de la Noche, Guatemala

12:35 10 min	The scorecard methodology from the perspective of a duty bearer Cristian RAMIREZ REYES, Red de Voluntarios de Amigos Siempre Amigos, Dominican Republic

12:45 15 min	Q&A Elinelsy CASTILO RODRIGUEZ, Sigue Mis Pasos, Dominican Republic Elias RAMOS, Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, Dominican Republic Roberto Ilisch David Camejo GONZALEZ, Proactividad para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Social (PROACTIVIDAD), Dominican Republic Cristian RAMIREZ REYES, Red de Voluntarios de Amigos Siempre Amigos, Dominican Republic Stacy VELASQUEZ, Organización Trans Reinas de la Noche, Guatemala

AUTHOR

Ines Alaoui

SUMMARY

This session focused on initiatives in Central America and the Caribbean aiming at facilitating processes between people living with HIV, health professionals and governments. Panelists demonstrated how monitoring tools can empower communities to change their health environment, and specified the difficulties faced in three different national contexts.

HIGHLIGHTS

Elias Ramos (Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition) introduced the session by presenting a community-led monitoring intervention carried out in the Dominican Republic. He emphasized the benefits of building dialogue and consensus between health professionals and service users in order to improve the quality of services provided at antiretroviral treatment (ART) centers. John Waters Garcia detailed the differences between the Dominican Republic, where nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can provide medical treatment, Panama, where the health offer is limited to state ART centres, and Guatemala, where NGOs can ensure access to sexual health and information but must redirect people living with HIV to state centers. These contexts were also affected by the Covid-19 crisis, which limited access to health infrastructures and medical examinations but facilitated appointment scheduling and the delivery of several months’ worth of treatments for people living with HIV. Cristian Ramirez Reyes (Red de Voluntarios de Amigos Siempre Amigos) stressed the idea that implementing monitoring tools requires both helping people living with HIV to know and assert their rights, and also ensuring employment security for health professionals advocating for change.

CRITICAL ASSESSMENT

This session successfully illustrated three governance and civil society involvement models, and the challenges on the ground when monitoring and advocating for improved HIV and health services. The community-led monitoring approach is a precious tool to compare the experience of professionals and service users. Even though the project could not be completed in Guatemala and Panama, panelists presented promising development paths and next steps.