(a)  The director shall award contracts to early intervention projects to provide long-term services to persons infected with HIV. The purposes of the early intervention projects shall be to provide appropriate medical treatment to prevent or delay the progression of disease that results from HIV infection, to coordinate services available to HIV infected persons, and to provide information and education, including behavior change support, to HIV infected persons to prevent the spread of HIV infection to others. The director shall award contracts to early intervention projects from a variety of geographical areas. In selecting projects, the director shall ensure that each early intervention project will respond to the needs of its projected service area, will be sensitive to linguistic, ethnic, and cultural differences, and will accommodate the special needs of clients by taking into account the circumstances that placed them at risk for becoming infected with HIV. The director shall award contracts for early intervention services at a pace that reflects the availability of private, state, and federal reimbursement pursuant to Section 120920. Prior to awarding contracts to new programs, the director shall consider utilizing existing services and programs with which it currently contracts, or that are currently in operation, and that provide HIV-related services.

(b)  Early intervention projects that are awarded contracts pursuant to this section shall provide all of the following services:

(1)  Health assessment of HIV infected persons, including, but not limited to, a physical examination and immunologic and clinical monitoring.

(2)  Health education and behavior change support related to reducing the risk of spreading HIV infection to others and to maximize the healthy and productive lives of HIV infected persons.

(3)  Psychosocial counseling services.

(4)  Information and referrals for social services.

(5)  Information and referrals on available research for the treatment of HIV infection.

(6)  Covered outpatient preventative or therapeutic health care services related to HIV infection, as determined by the director.

(7)  Case management.

(c)  An early intervention project shall establish a core case management team for each client to assess the needs of the client and to develop, implement, and evaluate the client’s written individual service plan. As needed by the client, the individual service plan shall include services specified in subdivision (b), other support services, legal services, public assistance, insurance, and inpatient and outpatient health care services needs of the client. A core case management team shall include, but not be limited to, a physician and surgeon, a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, a health educator, a case manager, and the client. Case management in an early intervention project shall incorporate an interdisciplinary approach. Other professionals, paraprofessionals, and other interested persons deemed appropriate by the members of the core case management team also may be included. The case manager shall coordinate the objectives specified in the client’s individual service plan. The case manager also shall monitor and assist the client through all services provided by the project and shall provide information, guidance, and assistance to the client regarding support services, legal services, public assistance, insurance, and inpatient and outpatient health care services. The project shall designate a sufficient number of case managers to reflect case manager-to-client ratios established by the department.

(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 1996.)