HIV Testing Services (HTS) & Treatment Adherence Support (TAS) Officer at Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK)

Job Purpose: HTS/TAS officer will advance treatment adherence and HIV testing services in clinics and communities within the upper Eastern region. The HTS/TAS officer will be based in the project’s Embu office supporting health facilities in Nyeri, Embu, Meru, Kirinyaga and Tharaka Nithi counties. It reports to the Regional Medical officer.

Responsibilities

• Provide training, mentorship and supervision to health facilities treatment adherence support teams and HTS counselors on, HIV testing, retention and treatment adherence strategies both in clinic and targeted home-based activities.
• Provide guidance to health facility HTS counsellors on index testing and targeted HIV testing to improve on positivity yield.
• Assist health facilities to develop and implement strategiesfor HIV testing and Linkage, HIV treatment support, including community awareness and mobilization, stigma reduction, home-based care, support groups and index client testing.
• Co-ordinate and supervise the health facility treatment and adherence support and PITC teams on adherence monitoring and HIV testing activities at the clinic and at household levels, with appropriate feedback and documentation done in registers and client’s files.
• Assist with implementation of successful differentiated care models.
• Assist in training health workers supporting treatment adherence and HIV testing, including developing and implementing curriculum, and serve as a trainer-of-trainers.
• Assist Identify and train PLHIV as Peer Educators
• Coordinate and supervise implementation of continuous quality improvement activities within the treatment adherence support team and HIV testing services.
• Coordinate client education sessions including treatment preparation sessions, treatment preparation for second line regimen switch and other ongoing counseling sessions within the facility.
• Formulates key client adherence and HIV testing messages.
• Help prepare TAS and HTS reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing results and trends.
• Submit timely reports of activities to the Technical Assistance (TA) team leader
• Improve and ensure quality outcomes by studying, evaluating, and re-designing treatment support procedures and patient progress; recommend changes and develop innovations in clients’ follow-up in consultation with the CHAP Uzima TA team.
• Other assigned duties as needed

Qualification and Requirements

• A degree in nursing, social sciences, public health or equivalent.
• Extensive knowledge and at least 2 years’ experience in HIV care and treatment support and HIV testing services.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills
• Supervisory experience in healthcare settings
• Willing to be based in Embu and to travel at least 50% of the time
• Ability to work effectively with faith-based partner facilities (work experience in faith-based facilities will be an added advantage)
• Fluent in English and Kiswahili