RAPID, Restart & Retention Committee

The overall goal of the RAPID (Rapid ART Program Initiative for HIV Diagnoses) program is to create a set of “hubs” around the city where persons newly diagnosed with HIV (or out of care) can rapidly access antiretroviral therapy (ART) and have a smooth transition to their medical home. In order to accomplish this goal, a RAPID steering committee established hub locations, standard operating procedure (SOP) for ART start, and SOP for transition to a primary medical home. The committee works with SF Department of Public Health surveillance (now “ARCHES”) to track the uptake and outcomes of persons participating in the program. We build on the existing LINCS programs at SFDPH to create and support hubs for rapid initiation of ART to individuals.

We start ART:

Within 48 hours –

  • If acute/early infection (recent negative Ab test, RNA+/Ab– or recent symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome) or
  • Evidence of advanced infection (opportunistic infection or a CD4 count of less than 200)

Within 5 days –

  • All other newly HIV-diagnosed persons

The program aims to provide ART for up to 5 days for these individuals until they are transitioned into their medical home.

RAPID Resources

RAPID Program Resources

Below are San Francisco RAPID Program resources that can be adapted to your city or jurisdiction’s needs. Please contact the GTZ-SF RAPID Committee Chair Dr. Susa Coffey (susa.coffey@ucsf.edu) if you have questions about any of these materials or would like to arrange a time to talk about our respective initiatives or programs. Documents *Updated* RAPID…

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[New Publication] Development of a Citywide Rapid Antiretroviral Therapy Initiative in San Francisco

Oliver M.L. Bacon, Susa C. Coffey, Ling C. Hsu, Jennie C.S. Chin, Diane V. Havlir, Susan P. Buchbinder, Development of a Citywide Rapid Antiretroviral Therapy Initiative in San Francisco, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 61, Issue 5, Supplement 1, 2021, Pages S47-S54,ISSN 0749-3797, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.06.001.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379721003615) Introduction Ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S. holds rapid antiretroviral…

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RAPID News & Updates

Apretude (PrEP) Insurance Flowsheet

BAYLAP, or the Bay Area Alliance for Long Acting PrEP, has developed an insurance flowsheet to help clinics with insurance navigation. The document can be found on the PrEP Committee page and Resources page. And directly, here!

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