PLACE & TCI
Places Where People Meet New Sexual Partners
Priorities for Local AIDS Control Efforts (PLACE) is a methodology designed to identify locations where people meet new sexual partners — venues that may serve as focal points for HIV transmission. By mapping these sites, the National HIV/STI Programme directs prevention resources to the areas of greatest need.
The PLACE approach was initiated in Jamaica in 2003, in partnership with Targeted Community Intervention (TCI). Together, these strategies form a geographically focused response that brings prevention services directly into communities and high-transmission settings.
Targeted Community Intervention
TCI complements the PLACE methodology by deploying outreach teams into identified high-transmission areas. These teams deliver behaviour change communication, condom distribution, and referral pathways to testing and treatment services at the community level.
The programme employs 50 PLACE Outreach Officers who work across priority locations throughout Jamaica, ensuring that prevention interventions reach populations where they are most needed.
The PLACE methodology represents a cornerstone of Jamaica's geographically focused approach to HIV prevention. By systematically identifying venues where individuals meet new sexual partners, the programme gains critical insight into the dynamics of transmission within local communities. This mapping exercise allows health workers to understand not only where risk concentrates but also the social and cultural factors that draw people to these locations. The data gathered through PLACE assessments informs targeted outreach, ensuring that prevention messaging, testing services, and educational materials reach the populations most in need. This evidence-driven strategy strengthens the national response by aligning resources with real-world patterns of behaviour.
The Targeted Community Intervention component complements the PLACE approach by translating mapped data into actionable community engagement. Trained outreach teams work directly within the identified venues and surrounding neighbourhoods, building trust and fostering open dialogue about sexual health. These interventions prioritize accessibility, bringing condoms, testing opportunities, and counselling services directly to the people who need them most. By meeting individuals where they are—both physically and socially—the programme reduces barriers to care and encourages consistent engagement with prevention services. This community-centred model recognizes that lasting behavioural change requires sustained, respectful relationships rather than one-time encounters.
Together, PLACE and TCI exemplify the National HIV/STI Programme's commitment to universal access and human rights within its prevention strategy. The approach acknowledges that HIV transmission is shaped by social networks, economic circumstances, and cultural norms, and it responds with interventions tailored to those realities. The programme continues to refine these methodologies, drawing on local data and international best practices to ensure that no community is overlooked. By prioritizing geographic precision and community participation, Jamaica strengthens its path toward eliminating HIV transmission while safeguarding the dignity and empowerment of every individual served.
The PLACE & TCI initiatives remain a core component of the programme's prevention strategy, working to reduce HIV and STI transmission by focusing resources on the locations and communities at highest risk.
How PLACE Works
The PLACE methodology follows a systematic process to identify and prioritise intervention sites:
- Site identification — mapping venues where people meet new sexual partners, including bars, clubs, parks, and other social gathering points.
- Risk assessment — evaluating each site's potential role in HIV transmission based on patron behaviour and network patterns.
- Targeted outreach — deploying TCI teams to deliver prevention education, condoms, and service referrals directly at priority sites.
- Ongoing monitoring — tracking changes in site profiles and transmission patterns to adapt interventions over time.
Related Prevention Efforts
PLACE & TCI operate alongside other prevention strategies within the National HIV/STI Programme, including Behaviour Change Communication (BCC), interventions for Most At Risk Populations (MARPs), and Cultural Vehicle programmes that use dancehall and media platforms to reach wider audiences.