Unhealthy alcohol use is a common, often unaddressed behavior associated with increased risk for acquisition of HIV and may also be associated with decreased adherence to oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) living in the United States. To inform future alcohol-reduction interventions among individuals engaging in PrEP care, we sought to explore perspectives on alcohol use, PrEP adherence, and the acceptability of alcohol use treatment options for MSM prescribed oral formulations of PrEP in the Northeastern United States. Between February 2019 and July 2020, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 MSM without HIV who were prescribed PrEP and screened positive for unhealthy alcohol use with AUDIT-C ≥ 4 and were receiving care in Providence, Rhode Island or New Haven, Connecticut. Interviews were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: 1) Consequences of fluctuations in drinking 2) Alcohol use negatively impacts health and relationships; and 3) Desire for a multimodal approach to treatment of unhealthy alcohol use. Our findings support the need to raise awareness of potential alcohol-related harms, address the spectrum of unhealthy alcohol use among MSM prescribed PrEP, and the acceptability and preferences for alcohol reduction interventions within PrEP programs.

•MSM recognize that HIV diagnosis may trigger substance use and sexual risk behaviors.•HIV-service providers inconsistently prepared to facilitate behavior change among MSM•Need social network-based interventions to decrease MSM's risk behaviors•Provider training on interventions & stages of change theory to address risk behaviors warranted

To identify actionable opportunities for improving Partner Notification (PN) for HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM), we characterized the perspectives and experiences of PN among Medical Case Managers (case managers), Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS), and MSM. In partnership with an AIDS service organization and the Connecticut State Health Department, we conducted a focus group of case managers (n = 14) and in-depth interviews with DIS (n = 7) and MSM (n = 24). We found differences between MSM's and providers' (case managers and DIS) perspectives regarding (1) determinants of sexual risk behaviors; (2) considerations impacting HIV disclosure; and (3) barriers to trusting relationships between MSM and providers. Factors impacting MSM perspectives on PN were incompletely appreciated by both case managers and DIS. PN may be improved through improving provider understanding of the complexities for MSM regarding sexual risk behaviors and disclosure and transcending barriers to trusting relationships between MSM and providers.

Nutrition interventions are increasingly recognized as pivotal to vulnerable HIV positive (+) patients.ObjectiveTo determine whether HIV+ individuals receiving home delivered meals have different rates of viral suppression when compared to HIV+ individuals who are not receiving home delivered meals.MethodsTwo chart reviews were conducted, comparing rate of viral suppression among HIV+ participants in Caring Cuisine (CC), a home delivered meals program, with HIV+ case management clients who did not receive home delivered meals. The first was a cross‐sectional study of current clients (n=164). The second was a five year retrospective matched case‐control study of clients with multiple measures of viral load at different time points with respect to initiation of CC participation (n=45 CC participants; n=90 for non‐CC participants).ResultsCross‐sectionally, CC clients had higher rates of viral load suppression (58.5% vs. 38.5%, p=<0.01) despite being older (p <0 .01) and with lower annual incomes (p<0.05). After six months of receiving home delivered meals, CC participants were more likely to have viral load suppression (OR=2.11; p=0.038) than matched non‐participants.ConclusionHome delivered meals may be an effective ancillary treatment for vulnerable HIV+ patients. Further research is needed to determine efficacy and effectiveness of this approach. Research Support: Yale School of Medicine

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an important approach to inform the development and implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment strategies. However, there is a paucity of literature describing CBPR from the perspective of community-based organizations (CBOs), specifically AIDS service organizations (ASO). Focusing on the perspective of the executive director (ED) from the partnering ASO, we describe in this paper lessons learned during Project Counseling Others About Contacts and Exposures with HIV (COACH), a CBPR, qualitative study intended to examine perspectives and experiences of professionals and clients regarding partner notification (PN) for HIV. Specifically, we describe opportunities and challenges associated with the time investment, balancing a dual role of service provider and researcher, and partnering with the department of public health. This description of the perspective of the ED from the ASO and the associated lessons learned may inform the actions of other CBOs, including ASOs, considering partnering with academic institutions for CBPR.