Impact of COVID-19 on Sexually Transmitted Infection and HIV Screening at an Urban Safety-Net Hospital.

HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise nationally and internationally. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic drove a shift toward telemedicine and prioritization of symptomatic treatment over asymptomatic screening. The impact in safety-net settings, which faced disproportionate baseline STI/HIV rates rooted in structural inequities, and where many patients lack telemedicine resources, is not yet known. This study describes the impact of COVID-19 on STI/HIV testing at an urban safety-net hospital. We used descriptive statistics to compare hospital-wide chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV testing volume and positivity rates in the following periods: prepandemic (July 1, 2019-February 29, 2020), peak-pandemic (March 1, 2020-May 31, 2020), and postpeak (June 1, 2020-August 31, 2021). STI and HIV test volume dropped sharply in March 2020. STI testing during the peak-pandemic period was 42% of prepandemic baseline (mean 1145 vs. 2738 tests/month) and nadired in April 2020 (766 tests/month). Similarly, peak-pandemic HIV testing was 43% of prepandemic baseline (mean 711 vs. 1635 tests/month) and nadired in April 2020 with 438 tests/month, concentrated in emergency department and inpatient settings. STI and HIV testing rates did not return to baseline for a full year. STI and HIV test positivity rates were higher in the peak-pandemic period compared with the prepandemic baseline. Given the precipitous decline in STI and HIV testing during the pandemic, safety-net settings should develop low-barrier alternatives to traditional office-based testing to mitigate testing gaps, high positivity rates, and associated morbidity.

Pre-Paid Phone Distribution: A Tool for Improving Healthcare Engagement for People with Substance Use Disorder.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic drove significant disruptions in access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and harm reduction services. Healthcare delivery via telemedicine has increasingly become the norm, rendering access to a phone essential for engagement in care. METHODS: Adult patients with SUD who lacked phones (n = 181) received a free, pre-paid phone during encounters with inpatient and outpatient SUD programs. We evaluated changes in healthcare engagement including completed in-person and telemedicine outpatient visits and telephone encounters 30 days before and after phone receipt. We used descriptive statistics, where appropriate, and paired t-tests to assess the change in healthcare engagement measures. RESULTS: Patients were predominantly male (64%) and white (62%) with high rates of homelessness (81%) and opioid use disorder (89%). When comparing 30 days before to 30 days after phone receipt, there was a significant increased change in number of telemedicine visits by 0.3 (95% CL [0.1,0.4], p < 0.001) and telephone encounters by 0.2 (95% CL [0.1,0.3], p = 0.004). There was no statistically significant change in in-person outpatient visits observed. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-paid phone distribution to patients with SUD was associated with an increased healthcare engagement including telemedicine visits and encounters.

HIV Exposure Prophylaxis Delivery in a Low-barrier Substance Use Disorder Bridge Clinic during a Local HIV Outbreak at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: People who inject drugs (PWID) may experience high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk and inadequate access to biomedical HIV prevention. Emerging data support integrating HIV post-exposure and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PEP, PrEP) into services already accessed by PWID. We describe PEP/PrEP eligibility and receipt in a low-barrier substance use disorder bridge clinic located in an area experiencing an HIV outbreak among PWID at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of new patients at a substance use disorder bridge clinic in Boston, MA (January 15, 2020-May 15, 2020) to determine rates of PEP/PrEP eligibility and prescribing. RESULTS: Among 204 unique HIV-negative patients, 85.7% were assessed for injection-related and 23.0% for sexual HIV risk behaviors. Overall, 55/204 (27.0%) met CDC criteria for HIV exposure prophylaxis, including 7/204 (3.4%) for PEP and 48/204 (23.5%) for PrEP. Four of 7 PEP-eligible patients were offered PEP and all 4 were prescribed PEP. Thirty-two of 48 PrEP eligible patients were offered PrEP, and 7/48 (14.6%) were prescribed PrEP. Additionally, 6 PWID were offered PrEP who lacked formal CDC criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Bridge clinics patients have high rates of PEP/PrEP eligibility. The majority of patients with identified eligibility were offered PEP/PrEP, suggesting that upstream interventions that increase HIV risk assessment may support programs in initiating PEP/PrEP care. Additional work is needed to understand why patients declined PEP/PrEP. PrEP offers to PWID who did not meet CDC criteria also suggested provider concern regarding the sensitivity of CDC criteria among PWID. Overall, bridge clinics offer a potential opportunity to increase biomedical HIV prevention service delivery.

Adaptation of a System of Treatment for Substance Use Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center includes programs across the care continuum for people with substance use disorders (SUDs), serving both inpatients and outpatients. These programs had to innovate quickly during the COVID-19 outbreak to maintain access to care. Federal and state regulatory flexibility allowed these programs to initiate treatment for people experiencing homelessness and maximize patient safety through physical distancing practices. Programs switched to telehealth with high levels of acceptability and patient retention. Some programs also maintained some face-to-face clinic visits to see patients with complex problems and to provide injectable medications. Text-messaging proved invaluable with adolescent and young adult clients, and a mobile-health outreach program was initiated to reach mother/child dyads affected by SUDs. A 24-hour hotline was implemented to support seamless access to treatment for hundreds released from incarceration early due to the pandemic. Boston Medical Center also launched the COVID Recuperation Unit to allow patients experiencing homelessness to recover from mild to moderate COVID-19 infection in an environment that took a harm-reduction approach to SUDs and provided rapid initiation of medication treatment. Many of these innovations increased access to treatment and retention of patients during the pandemic. Maintaining the revised regulations would allow flexibility to provide telehealth, extended prescriptions, and remote access to buprenorphine initiation to support and engage more patients with SUDs.