The Care System Assessment Project: values-based health care planning and delivery

This is a commentary on the Care System Assessment (CSA) Project, utilizing a values-based health care framework to review the process undertaken by the three participating Ryan White CARE Act grantee sites. The CSA Project participants' dedication to the well-being of their communities reinforced the inclusion, active involvement, and participation of all stakeholders. That key community members had previously chosen not to participate in planning efforts or seek care because of stigma and fear in new immigrant populations was noted by all three sites as a major issue to address in their future planning. The sites selected for the CSA Project demonstrated that community-based Planning Councils, engaged with representatives from the target population, can assess, identify, and provide effective interventions sensitized to the needs of underserved, resilient clients. They also demonstrated that meeting these needs to enhance the common good of the community may require an increased respect for diversity. The CSA Project is one leadership exemplar of providers and clients coming together to find the common good of quality health care for people living with HIV and AIDS These grantee providers and their clients are intimately engaged in this paradigm shift and are taking the lead to redefine the type of health and support services they must provide within the context of the U.S. health care system.