Linkage-To-Care: A Model for Success

On July 13th 2010 the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) set forth a goal of increasing national linkage to care rates from 65% to 85%. A local AIDS Services Organization (ASO) that recently transitioned to a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in New Orleans, LA, USA had a testing cohort of 2,785 with a consistent 2% positivity rate. Prior to hiring a dedicated Patient Navigator in 2012, agency linkage to care rates hovered around 50%. This article charts how the agency increased its linkage to care rate by 40% over the course of three years and will examine inputs, strategies and best practices of a successful linkage-to-care model implemented in New Orleans, LA, USA.