IMplementation of CAB+RPV LA for People With HIV in Non-Metropolitan Areas

The UNMC Specialty Care Center (SCC) in Omaha, Nebraska is the only dedicated HIV care facility in the region and serves patients from across the state of Nebraska as well as southwest Iowa. It also provides the sole comprehensive CAB+RPV LA program in the area with highly trained staff, established protocols and workflows for drug acquisition, and more than 75 patients receiving CAB+RPV LA to date. Although individuals who have transitioned to this new treatment modality report many benefits, including relief at not taking a daily pill (often seen as an unwanted daily reminder of HIV infection), some individuals still face barriers to access this treatment, which must be administered in a medical facility on a monthly or every two month dosing schedule. For the patients of the UNMC Specialty Care Center (SCC) who live in 79 rural counties in central and eastern Nebraska and 11 counties in Southwest Iowa, some extra barriers might include transportation, bad weather, time away from work to travel, and privacy concerns surrounding receipt of injections. In an effort to improve access, the SCC has partnered with the Nebraska Medicine Internal Medicine Clinic in Grand Island, Nebraska (a rural facility located approximately 150 miles from Omaha) to provide a satellite location for patients to receive CAB+RPV LA injections. The IM-CAPABLE study aims to evaluate this partnership and the best ways to provide CAB+RPV LA to patients who live a significant distance from an HIV provider and/or live in rural areas. People living with HIV who reside outside of the Omaha, Nebraska metro area and are starting CAB+RPV LA as part of regular medical care for HIV will be invited to participate in this study which involves completing questionnaires and an interview over 15 months. Clinic staff who are involved in providing HIV care and CAB+RPV LA will also provide input through questionnaires and an interview.