A Marketing Strategy

Date of Report: 10/2005
Source: Northwest AETC

The Northwest AETC (NW AETC) covers the states of Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon (WAMIO). This largely rural region constitutes approximately 33% of the US land mass, with many healthcare provider shortages and medically underserved populations. WAMIO presents significant geographic, economic, and psychosocial barriers to quality HIV care: rural isolation; vast state size; long distances between clinics; travel time and expense; racism, anti-gay sentiments and HIV/AIDS stigma in rural areas; limited HIV care facilities; and few rural community providers willing and competent to provide HIV care. The estimated unmet need?defined as the number of HIV-infected persons who know they are infected but are not in routine medical care?is high (e.g., 83% in Idaho).

Similar barriers impede the NW AETC's ability to provide HIV/AIDS training to community providers. Rural healthcare providers view HIV as a specialty disease and not an issue in their communities. To effectively address case finding (i.e., identifying HIV-infected patients who do not know they are infected) and unmet need, the NW AETC aims to 1) increase rural clinical care capacity through training, 2) incorporate HIV prevention messaging and case finding into routine medical practice, and 3) promote treatment/care management of HIV-infected persons by community providers through various stages of illness with ongoing expert clinical consultation from NW AETC faculty. The NW AETC worked with Rockey Hill and Knowlton, an international marketing firm in Seattle, to develop a marketing plan addressing:

	Outputs Increase attendance of hard-to-reach community healthcare providers at NW AETC trainings.
	Intermediate outcomes Increase number of healthcare providers who incorporate prevention messages, HIV/STD risk assessment, and voluntary HIV testing into routine medical care.
	Longer-term impacts More at-risk persons who get tested and know their status. Fewer HIV-positive patients who know their status and are not in care. Fewer patients presenting with new infections and re-infections.

The marketing firm contacted the NW AETC Local Performance Sites (LPSs), asking about marketing issues, recruitment messages, effectiveness of recruitment methods, and HIV training barriers. From this survey, the following recruitment messages were drafted and approved by the NW AETC Central Office and LPS staff.

1. HIV is a critical public health problem in the US: 40,000 Americans from diverse populations are infected each year.


2. As a healthcare provider, protect public health. Incorporate the following into routine medical care:

   	Assess patient risk for HIV and STDs.
   	Recommend an HIV test for those at risk.
   	Educate patients on prevention of HIV and STDs.



3. Be prepared: contact the NW AETC for HIV/STD information and training needs.

The messages acknowledge that not all healthcare providers may choose to treat HIV-infected patients, but ALL providers have a responsibility to assess HIV risk, recommend HIV testing, and educate patients on the prevention of HIV and STDs. Those willing to provide care and treatment can receive training at the NW AETC.

Each LPS developed a marketing goal and strategies using the key messages. The NW AETC Central Office developed a slide set of the key messages which can be shown at medical care conferences. Marketing goals and strategies will be implemented in the current year and evaluated for their effectiveness. For more information about NW AETC marketing strategies, please contact Bernadette Lalonde at lalonde@u.washington.edu or (206) 685-6844.