RISEUPTOHIV
RISEUPTOHIV
EDUCATION • COMMUNITY • RESOURCES
About Contact
ES HT
Peer navigators · Linkage · Case management

HIV navigators — the people who know the way in.

Last reviewed:

Educational resource — General information for learning and support. Check the linked sources and organizations for current policies, services, and eligibility when relevant.

Peer navigators, linkage-to-care specialists, and medical case managers do the work that keeps people in HIV care. Here's what each role actually does, why they matter, and how to find one — or become one.

Share this article Facebook X WhatsApp Text Email LinkedIn Reddit Threads Bluesky
← Home

Being newly diagnosed with HIV can feel like being handed a stack of instructions in a language nobody teaches. That's the gap HIV navigators fill. Ryan White clinics, state HIV programs, and community-based organizations employ them — with training and, in peer roles, relevant lived experience — to walk alongside people from the moment of diagnosis through years of stable care.1

The titles vary by state and by funding stream. Peer navigator. Linkage-to-care specialist. Patient navigator. Medical case manager. Community health worker. But the work overlaps, and if you're looking for support, the person you need is probably at the Ryan White clinic closest to you.

Quick answer: If you were just diagnosed and don't know where to start, call your nearest Ryan White clinic and ask for a peer navigator or linkage-to-care specialist. Find one at findhivcare.hrsa.gov.2

The four roles — and how they overlap

Every state and every clinic uses slightly different titles. This is a rough guide to the four most common:

Role 1 · Lived experience

Peer navigator

A peer with relevant lived experience who is trained to help others navigate care. HIV peer programs often employ people living with HIV; each employer defines its qualifications. Peers can accompany appointments, explain care terminology, and connect clients with the clinical team.

Utah Ryan White Part B service standards, 2024 — Utah Department of Health and Human Services.3

Role 2 · Bridge to care

Linkage-to-care specialist (LTCS)

A non-medical professional trained to move a newly diagnosed person into their first HIV medical appointment — and keep them there through the first several visits. LTCS work by state protocol: attend the first appointment, remove barriers (housing, transportation, insurance), and hand off to a longer-term case manager.

Wisconsin Linkage to Care Specialist Program Manual — Wisconsin Department of Health Services.4

Role 3 · The long haul

Medical case manager (Ryan White)

Once a person is linked to a Ryan White clinic, a medical case manager coordinates the ongoing services — Ryan White eligibility, ADAP recertification, benefits, transportation, mental health referrals, and housing. This is the person you'll work with over months and years.

HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program — Available Care and Services.5

Role 4 · PrEP-specific

PrEP navigator

A newer role, especially at community health centers and LGBTQ+ clinics: someone whose specific job is helping people start and stay on PrEP. They handle insurance appeals, patient-assistance applications, and reminders for the next lenacapavir shot or Apretude injection.

HealthHIV PrEP Navigation Certification.6

Peer advocates bring something unique. They've been there. They know what it's like to be newly diagnosed or feel lost in the system. — Ryan White clinician quoted in HRSA's 2026 Biennial Report on the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.7

How to find a navigator

You can ask for navigation without having every document ready. Ryan White-funded care has HIV, income, and residency eligibility rules; prevention programs have different criteria. Staff can explain which services fit your situation.[11]

  1. Find a nearby Ryan White provider. Search HRSA’s locator, then ask which navigation and case-management services it offers or refers to. Availability varies.
  2. Call and ask. Try: "Hi, I'm new to HIV care — do you have a peer navigator or a linkage specialist I can talk to?" The word choice matters less than the ask.
  3. If nothing local, call the FL HIV/AIDS Hotline at 1-800-352-2437. Hotline staff can help route you to the nearest Ryan White or community organization with peer support.
  4. Try 2-1-1. Where available, this information service can help search local social-service directories; use your health department if it cannot locate HIV navigation.

Florida angle: HIV 500/501 training concerns HIV counseling and testing. It can be relevant to linkage work, but it is not a synonym for peer navigation or a universal qualification for every navigator. Ask the clinic what support its staff actually provide.8

How to become a navigator

If you're living with HIV and thinking about doing this work: it's real work, it pays, and community demand is only growing. The general on-ramp:

  1. Read the job’s actual requirements. Peer positions may ask for lived experience, training, and comfort sharing selected experiences professionally. Do not assume every job requires disclosure of viral-load results or being a current client.
  2. Look for a training program. Ask local HIV organizations and your state health department about peer training, supervision, and current openings. Check the scope and eligibility of any HealthHIV course before enrolling.9
  3. Apply at a Ryan White clinic or community-based organization. Search for "peer navigator HIV" or "linkage to care specialist" on job boards in your city. AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Empower U, Miracle of Love (Central Florida), and many state and county-funded programs hire regularly.
  4. Explore case-management pathways. Missouri publishes a pathway for HIV peers and navigators. Qualifications elsewhere differ; ask the employer whether experience, training, or a degree is required.10

National community resources: The Sero Project, Positive Women’s Network-USA, and Black AIDS Institute offer advocacy and community resources. Check their current programs rather than assuming a particular course or hiring pathway is always available.

References & Sources

Sources for peer navigator, linkage specialist, and case manager roles — HRSA, state DOH protocols, and Ryan White service standards.

  1. HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program — Available Care and Services. Federal overview of Ryan White core medical and support services, including peer navigation and case management. ↩
  2. HRSA — Find a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Medical Provider. HRSA's Ryan White clinic locator. ↩
  3. Utah Ryan White Part B — Outreach Service Standards 2024. Utah DHHS peer navigator service standards. ↩
  4. Wisconsin DHS — Linkage to Care Specialist Program Manual. Wisconsin's LTCS program manual, including definitions and training requirements. ↩
  5. HRSA — About the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Federal overview of the Ryan White program's scope, including medical case management. ↩
  6. HealthHIV — HIV PrEP Navigation Certification Program. HealthHIV's national PrEP navigation certification program. ↩
  7. HRSA 2026 Biennial Report — Implementing Interventions, Expanding Partnerships (PDF). Federal 2026 report on Ryan White program highlights, including peer advocate roles. ↩
  8. Florida DOH — Internal Operating Procedure 360-07 (HIV counseling/testing/linkage). Florida's HIV 500 and HIV 501 certifications for HIV counselors, testers, and linkage staff. ↩
  9. HealthHIV. National HealthHIV training and certification for community-based HIV navigation. ↩
  10. Missouri DHSS — Pathway to HIV Case Manager for HIV Peers/Navigators. Missouri's formal pathway from peer/navigator into full HIV case management. ↩
  11. HRSA. Policy Notice 21-02: client eligibility and payor of last resort (revised 2025). Source. Checked September 20, 2026. ↩
Search RiseUpToHIV