Providing Links to Care and Social Connections for Black Gay Men
One of the key features of the app is the social connection. Thrive SS has a key theme of “loving people to health,” which depends on personal interaction. The Thrive 365 App is one strategy that the organization is utilizing to build and sustain the personal connection that is key to its success.
THRIVE SS was established to provide support to gay, bisexual, and same-gender-loving men living with HIV in Atlanta. The organization hosts a portal for sharing pertinent, lifesaving information and building community. The organization has 945 Black gay/bisexual men and 250 Black women members in the Atlanta metro area.
THRIVE SS utilizes its “Undetectables Model”—a tiered peer approach that combines online, traditional in-person, and social support to address issues that Black PLWH face. In the U.S., many people of color living with HIV have trouble reaching viral suppression or “undetectable” status, addressing their hierarchy of needs (shelter, employment, medical care), gaining support, and disclosing their HIV status to partners, family, and friends. Thrive SS has replicated this successful model in other high prevalence jurisdictions around the country, including Tennessee, California, South Carolina, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia. The outcomes seen in Atlanta, including the reduction of community viral load and a corresponding drop in new infections, have been mirrored in participating cities.2
Even before the pandemic, THRIVE SS had started to establish a virtual support group; the organization created a flexible membership program, started delivering services via mobile vans, and increased virtual arts and cultural activities, such as virtual balls and virtual happy hours. With the onset of COVID, THRIVE SS closed its bricks and mortar office and re-engineered its programs to be fully online.
A specific product that was developed because of the COVID-19 pandemic was THRIVE 365, a support application (app) that provides linkages to care, support groups for Black queer men, and social connections. As Facebook became politicized, THRIVE SS addressed a need for this type of social connection and became a source of trusted information. It also connected people to care and support groups and provided adherence checks, appointment reminders, and connections to people. THRIVE 365 also focuses on prevention, connecting people to providers that manage Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and providing additional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information on HIV prevention.
One of the key features of the app is the social connection. Thrive SS has a key theme of “loving people to health,” which depends on personal interaction. The Thrive 365 App is one strategy that the organization is utilizing to build and sustain the personal connection that is key to its success.