Patient navigators effectively support HIV-infected individuals returning to the community from jail settings

Patient navigation is an evidence-based approach for enhancing medical and support service co-ordination and ensuring linkage to medical care for people living with HIV released from jail. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

This brief describes the benefits of patient navigation and issues to consider when implementing a navigator program. The authors use process data to describe the type and amount of navigation services delivered as part of a randomized study, the “The San Francisco Navigator Project.”

Navigation programs are able to accommodate a range of service needs; most clients required multiple types of services, particularly during the first two months after release.

Navigation programs should be prioritized because they provide unique and essential support for people leaving jail during the particularly vulnerable time immediately after release navigation plays a crucial role in retaining individuals in care and preventing onward transmission of HIV.