Project Goals
As one of 23 project areas, the Oregon MMP aims to gain a deeper understanding of health-related experiences and needs of people living with HIV/AIDS who are receiving HIV care in Oregon. The goals of the project are to:
- Provide a wide array of locally and nationally representative estimates of behaviors and clinical outcomes of persons in care for HIV;
- Describe health-related behaviors;
- Determine accessibility and use of prevention and support services;
- Increase knowledge of the care and treatment provided; and
- Examine variations of factors by geographic area and patient characteristics.
This comprehensive study of HIV care in Oregon represents the first time our state has data on how well people living with HIV/AIDS are doing clinically, behaviorally and socially. MMP builds on the existing HIV case reporting system and is the first nationally representative sample of medical care for people living with HIV that links review of medical records with participant interviews. In the first two years of data collection (2007 and 2008), Oregon secured additional funding to oversample people receiving HIV care in rural facilities to better understand the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in rural areas of Oregon.
The success of MMP depends on the providers and patients selected to participate. To help ensure maximum participation, MMP has a national community advisory board (CAB) as well as a national provider advisory board (PAB). CAB and PAB members advise local and national staff on aspects related to the development and implementation of MMP in order to increase the likelihood of obtaining information that is truly representative of people living with HIV. Providers and patients who were not selected to participate in the project can still help by encouraging others to participate.
How the Data are Used
MMP provides valuable state and national estimates of health care utilization, quality of care, severity of need, and effectiveness of prevention messages. MMP data may help estimate resource needs for treatment and services for people living with HIV/AIDS. To be effective, programs must meet the current needs of the population. MMP data provide contextual information on prevention, care-seeking, treatment, and risk behaviors which can aid in the design and improvement of HIV programs.
Information gathered for MMP will be used to help people living with HIV/AIDS. Results will be shared with HIV prevention community planning groups, Ryan White CARE Act advisory and planning councils, and with facilities that provide care for people living with HIV/AIDS. This information will be used to make evidence-based policy and funding decisions and to guide treatment services for people living with HIV/AIDS in Oregon and across the nation.