Latino SPNS Intiative

This Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) initiative, Culturally Appropriate Interventions of Outreach, Access and Retention among Latino Populations, is a multi-site demonstration and evaluation of culturally specific service delivery models focused on improving health outcomes among Latinos living with HIV disease. The initiative funds ten demonstration sites for up to five years to design, implement and evaluate innovative methods to identify Latinos who are at high risk or living with HIV and out of care or unaware of their HIV-positive status, and improve their access, timely entry and retention in quality HIV primary care. This initiative is one of the first public health adaptations of the transnational approach, with interventions targeting HIV-infected Latino subpopulations living in the US that are specific to their country or place of origin.

The Latino SPNS Initiative’s goals are to:

  •    Improve access to quality HIV primary care
  •    Improve timely entry into HIV primary care
  •    Improve retention in quality HIV primary care

History of the SPNS Program

The Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program is funded through Part F of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which is operated under the HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). HRSA is an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

SPNS is charged with development of innovative models of HIV treatment, in order to quickly respond to emerging needs of clients served by Ryan White HIV/AIDS Programs.  SPNS advances knowledge and skills in the delivery of health and support services to underserved populations diagnosed with HIV infection. Through its demonstration projects, SPNS evaluates the design, implementation, utilization, cost, and health related outcomes of treatment models, while promoting dissemination and replication of successful interventions.  The SPNS program also funds projects to develop standard electronic client information data systems to improve the ability of Ryan White grantees and provider organizations to report client-level data.

To meet program goals, funded organizations must contain a strong evaluation component and disseminate information necessary for effective replication. As grantees develop innovative services, the SPNS Program provides the funding and expertise for grantees to evaluate innovations and disseminate findings to the HIV community.

For more information about SPNS initiatives, visit http://hab.hrsa.gov/abouthab/partfspns.html