HIV Testing Day is June 27

National HIV Testing Day was first observed on June 27, 1995 to encourage people to get tested, know their status, and access resources for treatment. This year, the emphasis is on “Take the Test & Take the Next Step” to promote the importance of knowing your HIV status to link to care options to stay healthy. As an act of self care, HIV testing is a critical tool to help end the HIV endemic in the United States and to ensure linkage to care is quick. Visit HIV.gov for more information on testing, HIV treatment options, and to review the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

The KU Internal Medicine Midtown Clinic in Wichita, KS provides care and treatment to over 1,400 patients as part of their Ryan White supported HIV Program. The mission of the program is to provide care and early intervention services to all HIV-positive individuals across Kansas, regardless of ability to pay. Led by Dr. Donna Sweet, and with HIV Outreach Clinics in Garden City, Pittsburg, and Salina,  a travel team, including 2 providers, a case manager, lab tech and medical assistant, will usually fly or drive out to those clinics. The visit could also include educational presentations by Dr. Sweet, who will also fill in at the clinics as needed. These travel visits support their goal to provide community-based medical care, education, and researchin Wichita and in rural areas.



The HTRC was fortunate to connect with Kayla Del Rio, APRN-C and HIV Certified specialist in HIV care with emphasis on transgender care, who took a moment to answer a few questions about telehealth options in their clinic. As with many clinics and health providers, they had to move to telehealth appointments after COVID-19 caused a public health emergency. As Kayla states, “during the pandemic it was our only option”. She states “during the pandemic it was impossible as the clinics we would go to did not allow us to [have in-person visits], including here in Wichita”, indicating people did not feel safe and at one point the clinic was completely operating with telehealth services. They agree telehealth really opened access to patients during that time and now as well. “At times patients cannot make appointments due to job, transportation, time constraints, or continued fear so telehealth gives the option to still be seen”. If the providers need labs they usually work with local hospitals in the area and send orders so patients can go in at their own time. Kayla says that [telehealth] has really given patients a sense of relief that they still can be seen via telehealth if they need that option. The clinic would adjust to language and technology barriers while keeping quality high by changing from video to audio-only calls, to maintain continuity of care.

The clinic has moved back to primarily in-person appointments as it is very important to build relationships with the patients, however as Kayla outlines “I think even every other [telehealth] visit for patients who are doing well would be beneficial. There are several appointments that would be appropriate for telehealth such as discussing meds, risks, questions, and screenings that can also be done as a Telehealth visit. Especially for those who are unable to make it in for an in person visit."

When asked what the future of HIV care and prevention would look like to the Midtown clinic team, Kayla offers “I am hopeful that we are able to team up with other clinics to create direct relationships so we can help providers feel comfortable and ultimately help provide the best care for patients. I have already teamed up with some clinics to develop PEP and PREP protocols in the past. I would love to see a local number available to providers of KS for questions or collaboration”.

Additionally, the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center of Kansas and Nebraska (MATEC-KS/NE) is HRSA funded and based out of the Kansas University Medical Center - Wichita. The AETC’s are charged with educating health care professionals about HIV infection, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and psychosocial issues. For more information, visit their website or contact Susan Tusher, LMSW, Program Director at

stusher@kumc.edu.

Patients can connect with provider by contacting the clinic and by visiting their website: https://kuwichitaim.com/midtown-clinic/

Supported by federal Ryan White funding, among other sources, Kayla Del Rio, APRN, and Dr. Donna Sweet work closely together to provide care to HIV patients across Kansas.

The HIV Program Care Team prepares to fly to a rural clinic in Pittsburgh, KS to provide needed services to the community.

To support #HIVTestingDay, here are HTRC partner programs that provide education and outreach opportunities. 

Oklahoma State ECHO: Get expert HIV specialist knowledge in a virtual learning network with the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences HIV Specialist ECHO team. The curriculum is designed to expand expertise in treating HIV/AIDS in the primary care setting.

Missouri Telehealth Network ECHO: The University of Missouri has created an ECHO that will empower and educate care systems and teams about core concepts of multidisciplinary, patient-centered HIV care, as well as prevention through a nurturing forum for exchanging knowledge and sharing experiences. 

KUMC ECHO: KUMC will host an HIV ECHO this upcoming August. Be sure to keep checking the website for details.

Telehealth Everywhere! 2023 Conference Held

In May, the Heartland Telehealth Resource Center supported the Telehealth Everywhere! 2023 conference, hosted by the Great Plains Telehealth Resource Assistance Center. Held in Minneapolis, presentations focused on telehealth best practices following the end of the public health emergency declaration. Presentations from the heartland included Steve Kropp, Director of Telehealth at The University of Kansas Health System, Rachel Mutrux, Program Director at Missouri Telehealth Network, Tim Davis, Telehealth Manager with OSU Center for Rural Health, and Chad Stotler, Telemedicine Manager, Children’s Mercy Hospital. It was a great success!

Rachel Mutrux, Missouri Telehealth Network, Steve Kropp, The University of Kansas Health System, and Molly Brown, Heartland Telehealth Resource Center, attend the gpTRAC conference “Telehealth Everywhere” in Minneapolis.

Ann Mond Johnson, CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, as she served as the opening keynote “Telehealth: Where We Are and Where We Are Going”.

As part of the conference, Splash Sessions were provided as a breakout opportunity to learn more about telehealth programs across health systems and organizations. Heartland’s very own Tim Davis (OSU) and Rachel Mutrux (MTN) presented.

Left: Rachel Mutrux, Missouri Telehealth Network, presents “Interprofessional Telehealth Training Program” during the Splash Session.

Right: Tim Davis, OSU Center for Health Sciences, presents during a Splash Session “Emergency Virtual Consultations”. 

Surgeon General Urges Action to Ensure Social Media Environments are Healthy and Safe

On May 23, 2023, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new advisory on social media and youth mental health as a risk of harm and well-being to children and adolescents. With the increase in mental and behavioral health issues in school-aged youth, the added risk of exposure to harmful content on social media increases risk of poor mental health outcomes. While more research is needed to determine the full impact social media has on youth development, there are resources in place that aid in building strong environments to support children, youth, and adolescents across all factions of development.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a portal to ask questions regarding addressing social media access and impacts across the lifespan. Visit the portal here: Social Media and Youth Mental Health Q&A portal by the AAP.

Our Telehealth ROCKS team developed a two-part advanced series focusing on building capacity to strengthen trauma-response in schools.

Featured event: Trauma-Responsive Schools Training- Advanced Series

Telehealth ROCKS invites you to join us for trauma-responsive training focused on schools. There is no cost to attend, and training is online via Zoom. Click here for more info.

We invite those responsible for building the trauma-responsive environment at school to attend this 2-part advanced series. We will discuss the components and implementation of a trauma-responsive school plan. 

Advanced Series:

• Part 1: June 21 from 10-11:30AM
• Part 2: June 28 from 10-11:30AM
• Register Here

We hosted a separate introductory session on this topic for a general school audience earlier this month. We invite you to view the intro session recording. The Advanced Series will go more in depth on this topic.