Our community is 4.2x more likely to achieve sustained viral suppression.
Positive Peers is a private peer-led support app helping end the epidemic for the especially vulnerable populations of 13-34-year-olds and MSM of color.
Positive Peers offers on-demand help for reducing stigma, eliminating isolation, and increasing viral suppression. Registration is required to gain access to the app to ensure the safety and privacy of all users. Users apply online via our easy enrollment system and web upload of eligibility documents.
WebMD names Positive Peers one of the best HIV apps for Support Aug 2022
Verywell Health named Positive Peers one of the 7 Best HIV Support Groups of 2021and 2023
FeedSpot named Positive Peers one of the Top 50 HIV Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2019 and 2020
MyTherapy listed Positive Peers as 10 of the Best HIV and AIDS Blogs in 2019
Medical News Today named Positive Peers one of the top 10 best blogs on HIV/AIDS in 2018
Our Key Health Partners
We are growing.
Come join us.
Positive Peers was launched in October 2016 and tested through 2018 with 128 YPWH who were all patients at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. All 128 of those patients still have app access.
In March of 2020, Positive Peers scaled up to national online enrollment. Today, we partner with five Key Health Providers, have more than doubled our app enrollment, and are supporting individuals across 35 different states.
Key Health Partner Benefits Include:
Admin access
Up to 4 professionals of your choice will gain access to interact directly with users in your geo-location, creating the potential for outreach or Early Intervention Services to those newly diagnosed or lost to care.
- Post and reply to all Positive Peers users within the community forum
- Send private chats to all Positive Peers users
- Send push notifications to your regional users
Provide regional content for your community
Curate a regional calendar for local events, add your community resources, and post additional success stories about your local YPLWH in Tales of Triumph.
Get local, aggregate data
Take advantage of baseline 3, 6, and 12-month data surveys. Get data about local YPLWH in areas such as substance abuse, self-efficacy, incarceration history, and stigma.
Take advantage of promotional materials
Spread awareness of the app within your community with posters, marketing handouts, promotional pins, and stickers we provide.
Receive training
Guidebooks are provided and, upon request, a MetroHealth staff person will conduct on-site training to ensure bringing Positive Peers to your area is as easy as possible.
Give input on new features
Your local app users and healthcare professionals can join Cleveland’s YPLWH Community Advisory Board to provide feedback and spark new ideas.
If your organization is applying for End The Epidemic funds, consider partnering with Positive Peers. Our innovative app helps YPLWH sustain viral suppression, a key goal of the “Treat Pillar” to end the epidemic.
Your entire Ryan White Part A region benefits from admin access to Positive Peers. Not just one clinic, ASO, or hospital–your entire region.
HRSA encourages the use of innovative initiatives and has already put its support behind a significant social media effort, which includes Positive Peers.
To inquire about this innovative program, contact our Principal Investigator, Ann K. Avery, MD.
Or reach out via email to
aavery@metrohealth.org
This project was supported in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
