Project WINGS (Women Initiating New Goals of Safety) is a brief intervention designed to identify and reduce intimate partner violence among women on probation or in community supervision programs who use drugs. It offers a one-time session, either self-guided on a computer or led by a case manager, that includes IPV screening, safety planning, and referrals to support services. The goal is to help women recognize abuse, connect with help, and reduce substance dependency.

From 2011 to 2013, WINGS was implemented as a single-session Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model using mobile health (mHealth) tools and case manager delivery among 191 women in community supervision programs (CSPs) across New York City. A randomized controlled trial conducted found that both the mHealth tool and case manager version of WINGS were equally effective in identifying high rates of IPV and linking women to IPV services over the follow-up period. WINGS was later integrated into the WORTH and E-WORTH HIV prevention programs, which were evaluated in randomized trials from 2009–2019 with women in CSPs who use drugs.

• Both WORTH and E-WORTH have been recognized as CDC Best Practice interventions.
• WORTH led to a 30% greater reduction in condomless sex and significantly reduced IPV over the 12 month follow-up period.
• E-WORTH participants had 54% lower odds of testing positive for an STI after 12 months.
• WINGS  and WORTH significantly reduced experiences of sexual and psychological violence.

Challenges included working with a hard-to-reach population within community supervision settings, where stigma, substance use, and systemic barriers often limited women’s ability to access consistent care and protection services.

Nirvana Website：http://www.nirvanafoundation.org/

PrEP for WINGS builds on the original WINGS model by adding HIV prevention support for women in similar community supervision settings. It focuses on helping women start pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily medication to prevent HIV, while also addressing barriers like IPV and heavy drinking. This program uses mobile technology, peer support, and telemedicine to make care easier to access and is being tested through a clinical trial.

Although PrEP is in the planning stage and not yet reached full implementation, the program represents the first known effort to integrate IPV and alcohol-related risk reduction with PrEP support in a mobile format for women under community supervision. It laid important groundwork for future implementation and community collaboration models in similar settings. The team screened its first participant on March 8, 2025.

The study has worked through many administrative challenges and interruptions in work due to federal grant termination. However, the study is back up and running and working to recruit women now.