1. Approximately 7% of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) reside in the Fort Worth Transitional Grant Area. 1 Every year, as mandated by legislation, the Ryan White Part A North Central HIV Texas Planning Council (Planning Council) conducts an assessment of the administrative process of resource allocation to the areas of greatest need. The objective of this study was to conduct an assessment of the structural barriers of the system that may impede access to care/services amongst PLWHA. Structural barriers include functions that impede access to care, ranging from paperwork requirements to eligibility requirements and/or system. Assessment of Potential Structural Barriers of the Administrative Mechanism of Ryan White Part A Providers Omobola Mudasiru a, Brian Emerson a, Gil Flores b, Jamie Schield b, and Anita Kurian c a University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health b North Central HIV Texas Planning Council c Tarrant County Public Health Department Background A Survey Monkey ™ questionnaire was sent to staffs of Ryan White funded programs and HIV service providers to identify potential barriers in providing healthcare/service to clients and short cuts that may facilitate access to care (based on assessments, one-on-one interviews with frontline personnel, and other service providers). Data was collected from providers (n=92) at different levels of management. Questionnaire included provider and client demographics, and barriers to care – language, paperwork and collaboration with other agencies. The open ended questions were grouped together by themes to determine the most common responses. The data was exported from Survey Monkey in Microsoft Excel format. The analysis was performed Microsoft Excel and SAS 9.3. The frequencies of the responses were used in the analysis 1 Department of State Health Services (2014). 2013 Texas STD and HIV Epidemiologic Profile. Publication Number E13-11937 Paperwork (redundancy, information) and transportation emerged as major limitations to accessing services to both existing and new clients. Providers suggested that proof of diagnosis and photo ID were the most “necessary” documentation for initial access to care. This study found that even when providers/agencies are willing to co-operate, the transferal of paperwork poses further hindrance. African Americans were identified as facing the most structural barriers to care, which may be a result of client demographics. Understanding some of these limitations creates awareness and brings them to the attention of providers. Continuous assessments such as these assist in highlighting barriers to care and creating awareness amongst service providers to circumvent these issues and improve the service delivery for PLWHA. Figure 1: presents the themes identified from the provider survey Methods Results Discussion & Conclusion References What were the major barriers? Several major themes were identified that obstructed access to care: language, paperwork, transportation, and information (see the figure below). Since paperwork was highlighted as one of the major obstacles to care, providers were asked to rank absolutely necessary paperwork: Other highlights of the survey: For interagency collaboration, the oft- mentioned obstacle was the “transfer of paperwork” between agencies. Providers had a positive outlook on how client received services; majority stated that it was “somewhat easy” or “ok” for their clients to obtain access to needed services. Over half of the providers stated that the funded services met the needs of the patient. Transportation was noted as a service area that needed more funding. Results (continued) Provider and Client demographics: