A Continuum of Care Model for Adolescents Living with HIV: Larkin Street Youth Center

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Abstract
SUMMARY Overcoming barriers to delivering care to adolescents living with HIV, Larkin Street Youth Center (LSYC) has developed a comprehensive HIV service delivery program. This model coordinates services for adolescents living with HIV and includes five types of services: outreach, drop-in services, routine health and medical care, dependent care, and residential/caretaking services. Stable housing was made available to youth in two settings: (1) scattered site apartments and single rooms in hotels within a small geographic area; and (2) a residential care facility for disabled adolescents living with HIV. Case reports and summaries of assessments conducted with seven adolescents living with HIV are described. Clinical descriptions, health indices, and improvements in daily routines demonstrate the program's benefits; continued substance use and sexual risk acts demonstrate the need for prolonged assistance for adolescents living with HIV with comorbid disorders.