The Story Behind LARC
LARC was modeled after the successful African Health Professions Regional Collaborative for Nurses and Midwives program (ARC). Founded in 2011, ARC works across 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to facilitate nurse- and midwife-led HIV care for pregnant women and children; improve the quality of nursing practice; and enhance national nursing policy and regulation.
LARC was launched in February 2016 as a proof of concept. The program aims to improve communication between laboratory technologists and technicians and nurses and midwives in support of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals (by 2025: 95% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status;95% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained ART; and 95% of all people receiving ART will have viral suppression) with the particular focus on strengthening the laboratory-clinic interface for the third 95 goal.
In this pilot phase (LARC 1.0), six countries were engaged: Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Summary of results from the Pilot
