How Community-Based Organizations Responded to the Covid-19 Crisis to Maintain HIV Services Among Vulnerable Populations in Burundi, Mauritania, and Lebanon: Qualitative Results From the Multicountry EPIC Program.
Marion Di CiaccioOthmane BourhabaCécile KhouryAyman AssiSara Abu ZakiNicolas LorenteJuliana Castro AvilaAnnabelle NiyongaboDévote GakimaAminata DiouhLucas RiegelAmal Ben MoussaGabriel GirardMehdi KarkouriRosemary M DelabreDaniela Rojas Castronull nullPublished in: Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (2024)
Little is known about the adaption of community-based organizations (CBOs) during the COVID-19 crisis. This study aimed to study how HIV CBOs and their community health workers (CHWs) faced the COVID-19 outbreak. Semi-structured interviews (n = 53) were conducted among CHWs in Burundi, Mauritania, and Lebanon in 2021. A thematic content analysis was performed. Results showed that CBOs had succeeded in maintaining HIV services and integrated COVID-19 prevention and awareness in their activities. COVID-19 led to innovation in terms of HIV services (eg, telemedicine and online psychosocial support) and to opportunities to try new modalities of antiretroviral therapy dispensation. Field workers (a specific group among CHWs) were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and showed resilience in their adaptation to ensure the continuity of their activities. Considering the essential role of field workers during the crisis, their status and the sustainability of their activities should be clearly supported by health policies and programs.
Keyphrases
- antiretroviral therapy
- coronavirus disease
- public health
- hiv infected
- sars cov
- hiv positive
- human immunodeficiency virus
- hiv aids
- hiv testing
- healthcare
- hiv infected patients
- hepatitis c virus
- mental health
- men who have sex with men
- primary care
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- south africa
- health information
- systematic review
- climate change