2007-2008 Adolescent HIV Prevention Demonstration Sites

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Overview of Demonstration Sites

In 2007–2008, NACCHO awarded $15,000 to two local health departments (LHDs) to develop pilot interventions and strategic partnerships to address adolescent HIV, STIs (sexually transmitted infections), and/or teen pregnancy.

Applicants also included in their proposals:

A description of their existing HIV/STI and/or unintended pregnancy prevention programs for adolescents
A description of how adolescents are currently involved with planning and implementation of interventions designed to target them
A description of current involvement of relevant stakeholders in adolescent HIV, STI and/or unintended pregnancy prevention
A work plan for the project, including specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals and objectives
A description of the target population, including evidence for why this population is being targeted
Demonstration of how activities will be sustained at the conclusion of the project period

A completed implementation plan to enhance HIV/STI and/or unintended pregnancy prevention in one of the identified groups of adolescents
A plan for regularly and systematically monitoring partnerships
Demonstration of how the plan will be implemented
A measure of adolescents’ involvement in both planning and implementation of the project
A measure of whether or not the stated outcomes met the stated objectives, and if not, why the stated objectives were not met

At least one letter of agreement from a stakeholder organization outlined in the work plan, documenting their willingness to participate
A commitment to use a minimum of $3,000 for an initiative to further explore and/or to address structural or other environmental barriers to HIV/STI and unintended pregnancy prevention for the targeted adolescents population, to be developed in collaboration with NACCHO

Description of Programs

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH)

The mission of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) is to protect and promote the health of all New Yorkers. The NYC DOHMH Bureau of Sexually Transmitted Disease Control provides clinical services at ten community sites as well as surveillance and epidemiologic investigations through which they monitor STD trends and implement treatment and prevention plans. In 2006, 41,236 cases of chlamydia were reported, almost 30% of which were among 15-19 year olds. Also in 2006, 10,299 gonorrhea cases were reported, 22% occurring among 15-19 year-olds. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), increases in the number of HIV cases among men who have sex with men suggest a resurgence of HIV within this population. In addition, surveillance data from NYC suggests that non-Hispanic; Black females between 15-19 years of age represent one of the most at-risk groups for unintended pregnancy and HIV/STD infection. NYC DOHMH is responding to these trends by intensifying its HIV prevention efforts within African American and Latino communities and among young men who have sex with men and strengthening its efforts to encourage at-risk youth to get tested for HIV and other STIs.

NYC DOHMH will foster the development of an Adolescent STD/HIV Coalition in order to enhance their existing Adolescent Initiative Project. The Adolescent STD/HIV Coalition is made up of a group of community partners focused on adolescents and reproductive health that has not previously converged to address HIV, STD, and/or unintended pregnancy among adolescents. The purpose of the Adolescent STD/HIV Coalition is to develop, pilot, and evaluate new strategies to raise awareness about sexual health issues and the importance of screening for HIV and other STIs, particularly among lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and questioning youth. In addition to developing the city-wide coalition, NYC DOHMH will pilot a project involving peer educators called “Cells and the City,” a computer-based graphic arts project that incorporates the language used in text messages to deliver health education messages. Adolescent peer educators will develop their own multimedia prevention messages including where to go for HIV/STI testing. These messages will be available to adolescents through text messages on their cell phones, e-mail, and through popular adolescent social networking sites such as MySpace.com.

Cells in the City STD Educational Video

Video Evaluation Survey

Faith-Based Organization Linkage Agreement

Adolescent Health Services Booklet

Teen Sexual Health Facts Flyer

Riverside County Department of Public Health

Riverside County is home to more than two million residents, making Riverside County the fourth largest of fifty-eight counties in California. The total population of Riverside County, as well as its racial and ethnic diversity, has increased substantially in recent years. Almost 62,500 new residents moved to Riverside County in 2004.

Adolescents in Riverside County, particularly African American females, are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In 2006, the incidence rate observed for chlamydia infections among 15-19 year old adolescents was 827/100,000 and 1,155.2/100,000 for young adults 20-24 years of age. Also in 2006, the rate of reported chlamydia cases in African Americans per 100,000 was 515.7, more than three times that of whites (131.5) and about twice that of Hispanics (262.5). African Americans remain the group most affected by gonorrhea, with a rate close to three times that of Hispanics and Whites. Reported cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea within Riverside County vary widely by region.

Riverside County’s demonstration project includes plans to incorporate a wider audience of adolescents at highest risk for HIV, STD, and unintended pregnancy as targets for prevention messaging. They plan to accomplish this by expanding partnerships with high-risk adolescents and nontraditional community-based organizations through the STD Community Collaborative Enhancement Program partnership. The STD Community Collaborative Enhancement Program will be responsible for assisting with the distribution of the county-wide STD prevention message that was developed through an adolescent collaborative, and distributing this message to adolescents via public service announcements, podcasts, and direct health education interventions. Riverside County will also increase access to HIV and STD screening for adolescents in alternative schools and those residing in geographic areas with the highest adolescent STD morbidity. Through this initiative, Riverside County will improve its connections to a variety of community-based organizations and to adolescent populations at highest risk for infection.