Factors affecting client response to HIV outreach efforts

Purpose: This article describes 12 HIV Outreach Demonstration Projects fund ed by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in 1995, and the clients the se projects served. The article also summarizes the findings of multivariat e statistical analyses aimed at identifying important project and client ch aracteristics that influenced project success in achieving two key outcomes : persuading at-risk clients to obtain HIV tests, and facilitating entry by substance-ab using clients into structured substance abuse treatment (SAT) . Methods: Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis was used to conduct the analyses. Results: The findings support the hypothesis that HIV Outreac h, as an integrated approach to addressing the multiple problems clients ha ve due to substance abuse and related problems, can be an effective model f or reaching clients who have not been reached through traditional means. Im plications: By implementing a complement of comprehensive HIV Outreach inte rventions, many of the HIV Outreach projects were successful in addressing the various needs of their clients. However, as detailed in this article, s ome services and service delivery procedures, were more effective than othe rs in achieving project objectives. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All righ ts reserved.