Care Escort for Older Adults with Financial and Social Need

Grant Application

Greg Valdisera, LSW, UPMC Center for Care of Infectious Diseases

Proposed Innovation

The Pittsburgh Area Center for Treatment (PACT) — part of the UPMC Center for Care of Infectious Diseases — delivers comprehensive primary and specialty care, treatment, and social support services for more than 1,500 adults living with HIV. Patients needing procedures like colonoscopies often must delay or cancel treatment because they lack support — someone who can escort them home and provide follow-up care.

The goal of this project is to offer care escorts to medically complex patients living with HIV who have been referred by their PACT provider for an anesthesia-required procedure or screening. Patients who lack resources or support will be assigned a care escort who will take them home and care for them during the 24 hours following sedation.

Improvements in Action

Currently, there is no system or specific funding available to assist patients with HIV with post-surgery or post-procedure care, which is often required for discharge, such as when anesthesia is used. Through this project, adults ages 50 and older who lack support and are within 300% of the federal poverty line will be provided with a medical escort and care.

Intended Results

Providing a care escort for eligible patients will improve patient care, ensuring access to potentially lifesaving procedures and screenings that patients might otherwise forgo or delay due to lack of resources. At least 10 patients are expected to be served through this project during 2025.