Assistants, PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) at Georgetown Global Health Nigeria (GGHN)

Overview

• The Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Assistant provides intensive care coordination, support, and services to HIV-negative individuals to prevent HIV and HIV-positive individuals who are unaware of their status.
• They will work complementary to the Testing & Linkage Officers as part of the HIV prevention Cascade.
• They will be responsible for helping clients navigate and access HIV testing, PrEP, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), care and treatment, and other resources.
• The goal of these activities is to reduce undiagnosed and late-diagnosed HIV infection, ensure linkage to care, provide strategic risk reduction, prevention, and support services to at-risk communities and persons with HIV, as well as promote the expansion of focused condom distribution in the community.
• This position will primarily work within the clusters providing services in the facility and the community.

Responsibilities
Ensure the provision of optimal PrEP services in targeted Health Facilities and Communities:

• All service providers are trained and have the tools
  • to educate, create awareness, and increase uptake of HIV prevention services
  • to assess and create awareness and referral to supportive services that can enhance harm reduction, behavior change, adoption, and maintenance
• Facilitating the distribution of condoms and safer sex supplies in the facility and community
• Provide confidential assessment to determine the HIV prevention needs of the clients, regardless of whether test results are positive or negative; this includes the planning and referral of prevention service
• Provide PrEP disease prevention and PrEP adherence education and counseling.
• Effectively collaborate with all individuals involved in PrEP care and program delivery to support high-quality PrEP programming.
• Make referrals for external services needed to support PrEP care and follow up to ensure service delivery.
• Provide ongoing follow-up to ensure PrEP adherence.
• Maintain a Prevention Services collaborative network among providers, community members, and relevant organizations to reach persons disproportionately impacted by HIV
• Facilitate and support the implementation of quality improvement to develop and improve Client, patent, and provider processes
• Conduct “outreach” to target populations for HIV/STI testing & prevention services through various virtual and social media/app-based platforms eg JaraBOT.

Mentoring, Coaching, and Supportive Supervision:

• Build the capacity of PrEP navigators to clearly and accurately complete the required documentation for HIV Prevention including PrEP tools, HTS tools, client satisfaction surveys, Program screeners, sign-in sheets, incentive logs, program forms, etc.
• Train PrEP navigators to collate, analyze, and use data for quality improvement and patient decision-making.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Collect and report data on program activities

• Promote dissemination and sharing of good practices.
• Document successes, lessons learned, and challenges in implementation through routine monthly, quarterly, and/or annual reports and the donor, and other reporting requirements as requested.

Support other Prevention activities:

• Support the HTS team in conducting rapid HIV and STI testing in the clinic or during outreach events during peak periods
• Support Linkage of people newly diagnosed with HIV to medical and case management or re-link those who are not receiving medical treatment or case management
• Collaborate with other departments to ensure integrated services are offered and accessible

Research, Learning, and development:

• Serve as a fully functioning member of the Prevention and Community Engagement Team, able to participate in daily activities and functions to maintain overall operations.
• Participate in research and learning activities in PrEP and the Prevention Cascade
• Assists with the development and facilitation of educational HIV/STI workshops
• Stay informed about current HIV/AIDS trends, prevention and care efforts and strategies
• Participates in program, departmental, and staff meetings
• Perform any other duties assigned.

Qualifications
Requirements (Education):

• Bachelor's Degree or Four years experience working in HIV/STD prevention or other community health programs required.
• Familiarity with HIV Prevention Services
• Demonstrated experience providing capacity-building assistance at individual and organizational levels.

Requirements:

• Willingness to work non-traditional hours and in the communities
• Must have sensitivity and demonstrate sound judgment, and discretion towards all population groups
• Must have the ability to apply common sense to carry out instructions.

Skills and Abilities:

• Must be organized, and be able to work independently while working within a Matrix supervision model
• Ability to read and interpret all official materials, reports, and documents in English and Hausa.
• Ability to develop and maintain customer relationships; influence and build credibility and trust.
• Ability to plan, organize, and implement timely activities towards measurable goals and standard-setting in collaboration with other team members.
• Must have a working knowledge of MS Word, MS Publisher MS Outlook, and MS PowerPoint.

Confidentiality:

• This position has access to confidential information that includes but is not limited to, protected health information (“PHI”) of patients, and information related to GGHN’s business practices and plans.
• GGHN and its workforce are legally and ethically obligated to protect such information.
• Each GGHN employee is responsible for adhering to the laws and policies that prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of any information regarding a patient’s medical history, mental or physical condition, or treatment without the expressed authorization of the patient or the patient’s legal representative.
• All members of the GGHN Workforce are required to report any potential concerns related to PHI immediately. “Workforce” is defined as employees, volunteers, trainees, and other persons under the direct control of GGHN paid by GGHN.

Training and Certification:

• GGHN Ethics Certification, NHREC & CITI certifications completed within 1 month of the commencing role and maintained throughout the engagement with GGHN
• PrEP Certified Enrollment Worker
  • Completed with 3 months of commencing role
  • Maintained through continuous professional development quarterly
• HIV Test Counselor Certification
  • Completed with 3 months of commencing role
  • Maintained through continuous professional development quarterly.