Testing linkage and Retention Officer 129 views0 applications

Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA) is a national organisation operating in all nine provinces in South Africa with 134 members and affiliated hospices countrywide.
HPCA seeks to appoint a Testing linkage and Retention Officer to be based in Mpumalanga:

• Gert Sibande District, Govan Mbeki Local Municipality

The purpose of this position is to strengthen active referrals and linkages from community-based HIV testing points to HIV care and treatment and to improve retention in care through community-based adherence support interventions.

Responsibilities:

Implement Targeted Community HIV Testing Services

• Increase and create demand for community-based HIV Testing Services through community mobilisation and campaigns and case finding by expanding access to the traditional and non-traditional facility and community-based HTS
• Differentiate HTS for priority populations with age-appropriate and targeted approaches for children, AGYW and men and high-risk individual
• Leverage other critical entry points for HIV case finding and Liaise with Testing, Linkage and Retention Mentor to ensure supply of quality HIV test kits for use in communities
• Liaise with Testing, Linkage and Retention Mentor to ensure proficiency in HIV Testing
• Support door to door index HIV testing in targeted high HIV prevalence and hard to reach areas
• Coordinate targeted and integrated community outreach interventions such as Extended Programme on Immunisation mobile services to increase Early Infant Diagnosis and Paediatric HIV testing

Implement Active Referral and Linkage to Care

• Ensure that all clients tested HIV positive at community sites are referred and linked to the facility for treatment initiation
• Conduct follow up visits to facilities to ensure that the patient is captured into Tier.Net
• Implement and monitor patient tracking logbooks and intervention to bring those lost to follow up into care
• Work closely with WBPHCOTs and CBOs and provide a list of patients to be physically traced
• Set up networks and linkage with key stakeholders such as health facilities, Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision sites and Sexual Reproductive Health Services and Nutrition to ensure successful referrals
• Improve bi-directional referral systems between the community and facility-based services
• Improve utilisation of community-based health information systems to track community/facility referral

Implement Adherence Support and Retention in Care

• Collaborate with WBPHCOTs and CBOs to trace Pre-ART patients and ART defaulters
• Support community-based HIV services for new support groups and stable (Adherence Clubs) ART patients including cohorting, recruitment and facilitation
• Work with NACS and SRH Technical Assistant to integrate Nutrition Assessment, Counselling, and Support (NACS) into Adherence Clubs
• Provide Health Education to clients on HIV, ARVs, Adherence to ART, Viral Load monitoring and TB screening Timeously report any challenges related to the referral and linkage to care to foster early interventions

 Requirements:

• Matric / Grade 12 Certificate
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office
• One to three years’ experience in HIV/AIDS or Public Health Field Tracing Strategies Adherence Clubs Facilitation
• HIV Testing Services and application testing of modalities Referral Systems and pathways, linkage and retention in care
• Interpersonal skills
• Planning and organising
• Customer centric focus
• Attention to detail
• Communication skills
• Integrity
• Strong administrative skills
• Assertiveness
• Problem Solving
• Compassion

To apply, submit a detailed CV, covering letter and names of three contactable references including email contact to [email protected]

Preference will be given to suitably qualified candidates from the designated groups in line with the provisions of the Employment Equity Act, No. 55 of 1998 (and any amendments thereto), the relevant internal recruitment policy as well as the organisation’s employment equity plan.