BRIDGEPORT TEEN OUTREACH AND PRIMARY SERVICES (TOPS) PROJECT - A MODEL FOR RAISING COMMUNITY AWARENESS ABOUT ADOLESCENT HIV RISK

The Greater Bridgeport Adolescent Pregnancy Program (GBAPP), based on its skills in sex education, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted disea se prevention, developed the Teen Outreach and Primary Services (TOPS) project, an innovative teen-focused community outreach model to expan d and ensure access to health and support services for primarily under served minority adolescents and young adults at risk for or living wit h the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). TOPS is supported by the Spe cial Projects of National Significance Program, HIV/Acquired Immunodef iciency Syndrome (AIDS) Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administ ration. The target population for TOPS is inner-city minority youth (a ges 15-24 years) at high risk for HIV or HIV positive. Services rangin g from outreach to intensive case management were provided to 2173 you th in the project. The number of HIV-positive youth has increased from three in the first year of the project to 17 in 1997. TOPS provides o utreach, case management, HIV counseling and testing, risk-reduction a ctivities, and referrals for housing, entitlements, specialty HIV clin ics, and substance abuse counseling and treatment. A group of peer edu cators has been recruited from among the target population and is trai ned and paired with the staff to provide outreach services, peer couns eling, and education, and to assist with recreational opportunities. ( C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1998.