Peer support and tech aid people with HIV after incarceration
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Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, working with The Fortune Society in New York, studied how peer support combined with smartphone technology affected people with HIV leaving jail or prison.
The team interviewed eighteen people who participated in a program called DEPART-CLSI, which paired individuals with peer navigators and a mobile app to monitor medication adherence.
They found that while the app helped some maintain consistent treatment, the human connection provided by the peer navigators proved most valuable. The study revealed that people recently released from incarceration face significant challenges accessing HIV care due to unstable housing, lack of income, and difficulty establishing routines. Peer navigators, who have personal experience with the criminal legal system, built trust with participants and offered practical support with appointments, medications, and services.
This support addressed not just logistical needs but also the emotional isolation often felt during reentry. However, the researchers noted that the smartphone app wasn’t equally helpful for everyone.
Some participants struggled with the technology itself, and one person expressed a desire to manage their health independently, stating, “I got to do it on my own, I got to be my own app.” The team concluded that a hybrid approach, investing in peer navigation while offering technology as an optional tool, best serves the needs of this vulnerable population. They emphasize that interventions should prioritize individuals’ agency and adapt to their circumstances, not the other way around.
