Infectious Disease Practice (IDP – affiliated with Rutgers), Newark, NJ

The Infectious Disease Practice (IDP), established in 1990, is located on the campus of University Hospital (UH) in Newark, NJ, and provides comprehensive outpatient HIV primary health care in the service area of the city of Newark, as well as the county of Essex and surrounding counties. We provide care in a team-based HIV care model. Our linkage to care navigators identify patients eligible for care (newly diagnosed or re-establishing care) and coordinate their first appointments in the clinic as well as provides needed support, risk reduction counseling, and financial assessments. Once established in care, each patient has a designated physician, medical case manager (MCM), and ambulatory care technician (ACT) who collaborate to manage and coordinate medical services. This core team provides a needs assessment and coordinates with MH/SUD counselors, the registered dietitian (RD), and other care team members to connect the patient to needed services and referrals. Our outreach coordinator can assist with arranging for transportation and assessing any additional barriers to care for patients with low retention. Importantly, our location at University Hospital in Newark also provides us with opportunities to refer our patients for highly specialized care when indicated. The IDP care model highlights how our program focuses not just on HIV care, but on HIV and disease prevention, management of comorbidities, and holistic support of the patient to achieve health goals.