NIH: Model Continuums of Care Initiative (MCCI) for Women and Girls at Risk and Living With HIV/AIDS and Harmful Alcohol

Deadline: 2 December 2016

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting proposals from eligible entities for its program titled- Model Continuums of Care Initiative (MCCI) for Women and Girls at Risk and Living With HIV/AIDS and Harmful Alcohol and Associated Comorbidities Planning Cooperative Agreement.

The purpose of this initiative is to promote the development and evaluation of integrated multilevel interventions to reduce alcohol consumption as a key approach to preventing new infections and enhancing treatment adherence in communities in the U.S. where racial and ethnic minority women bear a disproportionate share of the HIV/AIDS disease burden.

Using the U34 Planning Cooperative Agreement mechanism and a community-based participatory research approach, MCCI will support implementation and operations research to:

Improve screening and early engagement in care;
Enhance retention in care;
Improve medication adherence; and
Address the role of alcohol in the adoption of female-controlled HIV prevention strategies as they become available for implementation (i.e., microbicides, PrEP).

Objectives

The key objectives of this implementation and operations research initiative are to:

Improve screening and early engagement in care;
Enhance retention in care;
Improve medication adherence;
Address the role of alcohol in the adoption of female-controlled prevention strategies as they become available for implementation (i.e., microbicides, PrEP);
Identify best approaches to reducing the burden of physical and mental comorbidities among women with comorbid HIV and problem alcohol and other substance use, including women with emotional, physical, and sexual trauma-related anxiety and depression.

Areas of Interest

Appropriate topics to be addressed by new and continuing research on women and girls at risk and living with co-occurring HIV/AIDS, problem alcohol and other substance use, and associated comorbidities include but are not limited to those listed below:

Identifying the alcohol and other drug (AOD) screening and treatment strategies that are most
effective in reducing AOD-related disparities in HIV incidence and treatment outcomes among women and girls. In particular, identifying the best approaches to integrating alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) into community outreach efforts to increase HIV testing and linkage to treatment. Identifying best approaches to integrating effective interventions for harmful drinking and other substance use into HIV treatment to improve retention in care and other clinical outcomes.
Examining the impact of harmful drinking and associated comorbidities and of HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and other social and psychological factors on women and girls’ acceptance of microbicide and antiretroviral therapies, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), across a range of formulations and delivery systems. Identifying best approaches to integrating alcohol interventions into PrEP and PEP for women and girls.
Determining how integrated HIV/alcohol interventions may be adapted to reduce trauma against women and girls and to mitigate trauma-related effects on HIV transmission and on HIV/AIDS and AOD treatment outcomes.
Identifying and addressing potential gender-related differences in the impact of alcohol and other substances on the immunologic response to HIV therapy and/or on treatment adherence.
Identifying the most effective strategies for reducing the impact of alcohol on mother to child transmission (MTCT) and best approaches to bringing them to population scale, particularly in resource-limited settings.
Determining how environmental, venue, or contextual/setting factors beyond the actual treatment administered (e.g., social supports, stigma, employment status, housing status, food security, incarceration, etc.) moderate the outcomes of interventions for HIV/AIDS and alcohol use among women and girls across the lifespan.

Award Information

The combined budget for direct costs for the entire project period may not exceed $450,000. No more than $225,000 in direct costs may be requested in any single year.

Eligibility Criteria

The following entities are eligible:

State governments
Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification)
City or township governments
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Private institutions of higher education
Independent school districts
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Small businesses
County governments
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Special district governments
Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs)
Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
Hispanic-serving Institutions
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations)
Regional Organizations
Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
S. Territory or Possession
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.