Enhanced Integrated Treatment Program with Sexual Health in Recovery (EITP-SHIR)

Program evaluation of an evidence-based program, the Enhanced Integrated Treatment Program with Sexual Health in Recovery (EITP-SHIR) for gay/bi and transgender women who who use club drugs during risky sex and are at high risk for contracting or transmitting HIV.

The Montrose Center, a sexual and gender minority-serving institution, is subcontracting with UTHealth’s Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research (CHPPR) to evaluate an evidence-based intervention, the Enhanced Integrated Treatment Program with Sexual Health in Recovery (EITP-SHIR), implemented by the Center. This project is funded by the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The project aim is to increase access to treatment for African American and Latino GBTQ+ persons and People Living with HIV (PLWH) who report chemsex i.e., the use of drugs before or during sex.

The EITP-SHIR program uses the Integrated Treatment Program (ITP) plus an assessment of client’s sexual health, shame about sexual behavior, and chemsex. The ITP includes treatment in several formats depending on individual client’s needs. These include (1) an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) format plus Individual Therapy (IT) and Case Management (CM); (2) Supportive Outpatient Program (SOP) to address relapse prevention plus IT and CM; or (3) IT plus CM. In addition, clients in all three formats receive sexual health information as psychoeducation during IT that is tailored to the specific issues identified for each client.

The evaluation of EITP-SHIR is based on SAMHSA’s Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders Evaluation Protocol which includes the Integrated Treatment Fidelity Scale (ITFS), the General Organizational Index (GOI), and outcome measures that are specific to the Center’s EITP. Process evaluation is conducted every six (6) months and outcome evaluation is conducted yearly. Evaluation activities include development of data collection instruments using Qualtrics, an online data collection tool; data collection at baseline, every 3-months, and at discharge; conducting process and outcome evaluation via chart reviews, observations, in-depth interviews, and online client and staff assessments; conducting descriptive, bivariate, and regression analyses for key program outcomes; data reporting to SAMHSA via SPAR, a data entry, reporting, technical assistance requests, and training system; and dissemination of findings via conferences and peer-reviewed publications. Data is collected from African American and Latino adult gay/bi men and transgender women aged 18 years and above, who engage in chemsex, and are newly enrolled in EITP-SHIR.

The project began in September 2019 and will end in September 2024.