Touch Points In Action: Engaging Navigators to Support Pan-Viral Linkage to Care and Prevention

Non-traditional healthcare settings — such as emergency departments and student health centers — play an increasingly critical role in HIV, STIs, and HCV (pan-viral) testing and linkage to care. This webinar explores how patient navigation models can be optimized within fast-paced, high-volume environments serving patients who may not be regularly engaged in care. Participants will learn practical approaches for brief interventions, health education, linkage to care, and follow-up coordination that fits within the unique workflows of emergency departments and student health centers.

Learning Objectives

• Recognize key touch points within emergency departments and student health centers where patient navigation can be effectively integrated
• Identify strategies for linkage to HIV, HCV, and STI treatment, PrEP, PEP, and harm reduction services
• Describe the use of checklists, scripts, EHR prompts, and other technologies that can support navigation in settings with limited staffing time
• Discuss stream-lined referral and warm handoff processes that address confidentiality concerns, insurance issues, and social determinants of health