Optimizing community services for an improved continuum of HIV care in South Africa

Extending care beyond the traditional clinic approach is essential to reaching UNAIDS’ ambitious HIV treatment and viral suppression goals. Such care is often referred to as community care and may include community support and adherence clubs, nutrition and economic support, and delivery of medication refills and basic clinical evaluations. Yet there has been little systematic planning in selecting and delivering community care services that best respond to the community’s HIV treatment needs.

This brief describes how Project SOAR is identifying gaps and approaches to planning and delivering services that best achieve HIV care and treatment goals in two districts of South Africa—Ekurhuleni and Bojanala.