A message from Dr. Avery

When we launched Positive Peers in the fall of 2016, we set the site live with nearly 55 pre-written blogs. We took off with a strong foundation of content, helping to educate our initial members and drawing attention across the nation. We built a robust marketing engine primed for our national launch four years later.

In Q1 of 2017, right after launching, we were attracting approximately 469 visits to our site per month. Today, we average 7,192 visits per month. In total, we have published 360 blogs and our content has caught the attention of others in the medical industry.

Medical News Today named Positive Peers one of the top 10 blogs on HIV/AIDS in 2018.
MyTherapy listed Positive Peers as one of 10 of the Best HIV and AIDS Blogs in 2019.
FeedSpot named Positive Peers one of the Top 50 HIV Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2019 and 2020.
Verywell Health named Positive Peers one of the 7 Best HIV Support Groups of 2021.
WebMD names Positive Peers one of the best HIV apps for Support! Aug 2022.

This quarter, one of our registrations came directly from that Verywell Health recommendation.

We are reaching more and more people daily who are eligible to join and benefit from Positive Peers. With your help, we can reach many more eligible individuals.

Here’s how you can help:

Please share our content with PWH/consumers/clients/patients, care teams, social workers, and outreach staff in your area.
Link to Positive Peers blog articles on your website.
Like and share our social media posts.
Send us your suggestions for new blog topics.
Encourage a member to share their Tale of Triumph.

Fold into our community fabric and be part of our voice.

As always, keep up the good work,

Ann K. Avery, MD

The MetroHealth System
Division Director of Infectious Disease
Positive Peers Principal Investigator

2023 Q1 Website Traffic:

19,785 people have visited the Positive Peers website,
21,575 times (sessions),
1.19 webpages viewed per session on average,
1897 registration page views, and it is one of our top 10 most popular pages, and
77 people began the registration process.

Out of the 77 registrations:

45 registrations came to us from direct links,
28 came from finding us on Google,
One came after a local Cleveland Channel19 news story, and
One came from Verywell Health.

Q1 2023 vs Q1 2022:

Website visits nearly doubled (90.26% increase)

How people are coming to us:

14,815 (76%) found us by searching online.
2,805 (14.1%) came to us directly (email, direct link, QR code, or typing in the URL).
1,859 (9.4%) came to the site from social media.
368 (1.9%) came from referrals from other sites.

Our Top 5 blogs:

How I Knew I Had HIV: Stories by Real People Living with HIV https://positivepeers.org/the-plus-side/blog/how-i-knew-i-had-hivstories-by-real-people-living-with-hiv/
Helpful Suggestion: Put a Ring on It (Sex Positivity) https://positivepeers.org/the-plus-side/blog/helpful-suggestionput-a-ring-on-it/
When does HIV weight loss begin? The truth: it doesn’t. https://positivepeers.org/the-plus-side/blog/when-does-hiv-weightloss-begin-the-truth-it-doesnt/
I’m straight. Can I get HIV? https://positivepeers.org/the-plus-side/blog/im-straight-can-i-gethiv/
My partner is HIV positive and I am negative https://positivepeers.org/the-plus-side/blog/my-partner-is-hivpositive-and-i-am-negative/

Reminders

We rely on YOU to help us get the word out about Positive Peers in your specific geographic area. Make sure to help promote the app by doing the following:

Display your Key Health Partner Badge on your site and link to our site. Download here: https://positivepeers.org/health-partner/keyhealth-partner-resources/
Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn) and tag us in your posts using @postivepeers4u and #postivepeers. Share our content and we’ll share yours!
Remember, we are willing to participate in virtual meetings with your Ryan White Planning Council or other community planning groups, staff meetings in HIV clinics, and HIV social work networks. Consider inviting us to your meetings where caring for Young People Living with HIV is prioritized and discussed.

App 2.0 is on the horizon

App 2.0 will roll out in the very near future.

One of the much-anticipated App 2.0 features is expanded access to some parts of Positive Peers, allowing anyone to benefit from some of our best tools, without impacting the privacy of our YPWH users. Positive Peers guest access will allow guests to view Positive Peers blogs and use the medication reminder – two great tools to help with adherence, health literacy and stigma. The community forum, chat, and other app features remain exclusively for eligible app users.

For the safety and privacy of all users, full access to the app will still require the complete registration process, which takes 15-30 minutes and includes eligibility verification (proof of age between 13 and 34 and proof of diagnosis).

Event

Kentucky Aids Training Center Annual Conference | April 27-28

The KY AETC Annual Conference provides the latest information regarding HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and related conditions. Attendance is open to physicians, pharmacists, dentists, social workers, mental health counselors, mid-level practitioners, nurses and educators who care for, or want to learn about medical care for, persons living with HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C.

Saturday, April 28th Speaker: Jen McMillen Smith, MSSA, LISW-S

Jen manages several MetroHealth’s HIV-related grants and projects, most notably Positive Peers, a mobile app for 13-34 year olds living with HIV. https://www.cecentral.com/live/23967/faculty

In the news

Positive Peers App Gains National Attention for Innovation in Helping Young People Diagnosed with HIV

Positive Peers has been recognized by The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA). In February 2023, HRSA featured Positive Peers as an “Innovative HIV Care Strategy” on their Target HIV website of best practices. Jennifer McMillen Smith also presented at the national webinar on February 24, 2023.