New ECHO Project At IUPUI Focuses On HIV

A recently-launched project in Indiana trains providers across the state to properly treat HIV.  

The project comes from the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI. It’s one of the school’s ECHO projects, which stands for Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, designed to address health care access needs.

Associate Dean Dr. Joan Duwve says their latest project educates providers on HIV treatment.

"How do you do the testing? How do you have the conversations around testing? If you make the diagnosis, how do you provide treatment to those individuals and how do you work with those individuals in your practice in a non-stigmatizing way?" says Duwve. 

Advancements in treatment can allow people with HIV to live long, healthy lives without the risk of transmission.

Duwve says a recent push from the federal government aims to eradicate the virus.

"Without engaging primary care providers in the community who are trusted by their patients, who can have those heart to heart conversations, who can normalize the testing and treatment of HIV it will be really hard for us to get there," says Duwve. 

The new ECHO project will offer free learning sessions to medical professionals twice a month.