The Inside StART study, led by UCSF researcher Paul Wesson, selected for an R01 grant

People with with criminal legal involvement are disproportionately impacted by HIV acquisition and are at high risk for poor HIV care outcomes due to care disruption posed by re-incarceration, medication non-adherence and other co-occurring conditions disproportionately represented among this group (e.g., mental illness, substance use, homelessness). Novel modalities for antiretroviral treatment (ART), such as long acting injectables (LAIs), present a promising solution to achieving viral suppression among those with adherence challenges. This study will use a unique longitudinal cohort of people living with HIV with criminal legal involvement (PWH-CLI) to understand HIV care outcomes and trajectories following release from jail, and leverage patient access through a specialty re-entry clinic for PWH-CLI released from jail to pilot test strategies to initiate PWH-CLI on LAI-ART prior to release from jail as a bridge to linkage with a community HIV care provider.