Adaptation of An Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Intervention for Women with Incarcerated Partners: Expanding to Community Settings

Abstract

High rates of incarceration in urban, low income communities may exacerbate women's risk of HIV infection by decreasing the number of available male sexual partners and disrupting long-term partnerships. The Health Access Program for Prevention, Empowerment, and Networking for Women (HAPPEN) was established to address the HIV prevention needs of women partnered with incarcerated or recently released men in community settings. HAPPEN is an adaptation of the evidence-based HIV prevention intervention Health Options Mean Empowerment (HOME) project. HOME was designed specifically for women visiting their incarcerated male partners and was delivered at a prison visiting center. Recruitment and program implementation for HAPPEN occurred at community-based organizations serving women with histories of substance abuse, intimate partner violence and incarceration, and provided health education, HIV testing, and linkage to health care and social services. This paper describes the process of adapting HOME using input from target organization stakeholders and target population members