HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Digest
December 17, 2021
Highlights of the Week
Retail Health Clinics and Pharmacy Model Convenings
NACCHO is hosting two convenings to bring together health departments and national partners and their members to discuss sexual health services in retail health clinics and pharmacies. The goal of both meetings is to understand how these entities work together currently and discuss how that relationship could grow in the future (and what would be needed to support that growth to better provide services in communities). The retail health clinic one will be on January 31, 2021 from 11:00am-1:30pm ET and the pharmacy meeting will take place on February 8, 2022, from 12:30 – 3:00pm ET. We wanted to ask this group first if any of you would be interested in participating in one or both meetings. If you are interested in participating, please email Rebekah ([email protected]).
Join Our Team
Director of HSH and Harm Reduction
The Director will oversee HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction projects of the HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis and Harm Reduction portfolio at NACCHO. With the Senior Director, they are responsible for developing the strategic direction for this work, integrating these activities within the unit portfolio and across the organization, and ensuring results.
Senior Program Analyst (Harm Reduction)
The Senior Program Analyst will primarily focus on NACCHO efforts to expand, coordinate, and publicize the National Harm Reduction Technical Assistance (TA) Center (NHRTAC). This will include working with a broad range of local health department, community-based, and national partners to recruit and orient TA providers, build NHRTAC capacity to deliver high quality and consistent TA, and create and sustain national demand for the NHRTACTA offerings.
Program Analyst - HIV, STI and Viral Hepatitis (STI-specific)
This position will work specifically on STIs as well as continuing our efforts to de-silo this work. The PA will support projects and activities within the HIV, STI and Viral Hepatitis program portfolio, including cooperative agreements with CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, and grant funding from industry and other funders. The ideal candidate will possess interest and experience in the prevention, care, and treatment of STls, as well as health department programming, the healthcare system, public health policy, and the provision of technical and capacity building assistance.
HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction News and Announcements
Funding Opportunities for Harm Reduction Monitoring & Evaluation
NACCHO is pleased to announce new funding opportunities to promote monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of syringe services programs (SSPs) and support the use of data for SSP program improvement. With support from CDC and in partnership with the University of Washington, NACCHO will provide up to $90,000 for SSPs to implement data analysis and/or evaluation projects and up to $50,000 for SSPs to participate in a learning collaborative related to the implementation of point in time surveys. Applications for the data analysis RFA are due January 13 and applications for the point in time survey learning collaborative are due January 6.
Join NACCHO and NCSD to Discuss 340B Drug Pricing Program
Would your health department benefit from understanding and utilizing the 340B Drug Pricing Program? Join NACCHO and the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) on January 25, 2022, at 2:00 pm ET as we explore the basics and beyond of 340B. Learn how the 340B Drug Pricing Program can support health department operations—saving money, generating revenue, and expanding sexual health services. Interested? Register here.
Now Available: NACCHO, NCSD, and NASTAD Webinar Recording - New STI Point-of-Care Testing Advances
On December 9, 2021, NACCHO, the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), and the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) hosted a webinar on a new point-of-care technology for testing of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the impact of its use for health departments. You can access the slides, recording, and transcript on the HSH homepage. Please feel free to pass these along to colleagues who may be interested!
NACCHO is expanding our work to address the syndemic of STIs, HIV, viral hepatitis, and substance use disorders and is interested in learning more about the status of STI and harm reduction service integration and barriers and opportunities related to integrating and linking these services. Please complete the brief survey below to provide information about your organization’s experience with integrating and/or establishing linkages between these services. For more information or to submit general questions, please email Senior Program Analyst, HIV, STI, & Viral Hepatitis, Kat Kelley at [email protected].
Be a Voice for Local Public Health: Join NACCHO’s HIV, STI, & Viral Hepatitis Sentinel Network
Join over 100 local health departments from more than 40 states participating in NACCHO’s HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis Sentinel Network (Sentinel Network). The Sentinel Network is an opportunity to shape national technical assistance and share your local public health perspective while engaging with colleagues nationwide. Members complete brief surveys on an approximately quarterly basis on their HIV, STI, and hepatitis programs, including their activities and services, partnerships, needs, challenges, and successes. Following each survey, Sentinel Network members are invited to discuss findings among their peers at NACCHO-hosted learning events. Sign up here or visit our website for more information. Contact Shalesha Majors ([email protected]) with any questions.
NACCHO Releases National Scan of Congenital Syphilis Prevention and Control Efforts
Over the last year, NACCHO has collected information on congenital syphilis prevention and control interventions/activities across the United States. This effort focused on gathering information on any interventions/activities across the entire spectrum of prevention of syphilis among persons with childbearing capacity and congenital syphilis, as well as information on your syphilis screening/testing efforts of persons with childbearing capacity at your local jail(s). A compendium of the collected responses has been developed to increase peer-to-peer collaboration and improve congenital syphilis prevention efforts. In addition to looking at what other jurisdictions have tried regarding congenital syphilis prevention, you can enter information on your local interventions/activities, regardless of whether the intervention/activity has been evaluated. For more information, and if you have questions, contact Shalesha Majors at [email protected].
NACCHO’s Board of Directors approved two updated policy statements related to HIV, STIs, and viral hepatitis in December 2021. These policy statements affirm the importance of supporting evidence-based sexual health interventions including comprehensive sexuality education and expedited partner therapy. Health departments and partners can use these statements to guide their practice/protocol development as well as advocate for strengthened policies in their local communities.
HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Resources and News
New PrEP Recommendations from CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published its updated Clinical Practice Guideline for Preexposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention and Clinical Providers Supplement. The updated guideline and supplement reflect the latest science and are intended to help physicians effectively prescribe all FDA-approved pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications to patients and increase PrEP use among all people who could benefit. The overall goals of the revisions are to update existing guidance using the current evidence base, incorporate recent and potential FDA actions on PrEP medications, clarify specific aspects of clinical care, and improve usability and increase implementation of the guideline.
Some key revisions to the guideline include:
- A new recommendation for providers to inform all sexually active adults and adolescents about PrEP. This is intended to increase awareness of PrEP more broadly.
- A recommendation that, in addition to taking a very brief history to identify persons with indications for PrEP, providers prescribe PrEP to anyone who requests it, even if they do not report specific HIV risk behaviors. This recommendation is intended to make PrEP available to people who may be apprehensive about sharing potentially stigmatized HIV risk behaviors with their provider.
The Health Resources and Services Administration’s HIV/AIDS Bureau released funding to support a new initiative entitled “Using Innovative Intervention Strategies to Improve Health Outcomes among People with HIV (2iS).” The Fenway Institute, in partnership with AIDS United, will serve as the Coordinating Center for Technical Assistance for this initiative. The intervention strategies will focus on four areas: people with substance use disorders; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and all sexual and gender minority youth; people who are or have been justice-involved; and using telehealth services for people with HIV. To learn more about the RFP, the initiative, and eligibility requirements, visit the AIDS United website.
Funding Opportunity on HIV and Aging
HRSA HAB has released three notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs) related to HIV and aging. Aging with HIV is an important matter within the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP). Nearly half of people served by the RWHAP were aged 50 years and older in 2019. The health care and psychosocial concerns change as people with HIV grow older and their health care and social services providers need to respond differently. All funded organizations will work collaboratively to achieve the purpose of the NOFOs. Applications for the three NOFOs are due January 25, 2022.
National Coalition for Sexual Health has Launched their Guide to Sexual Concerns and Pleasure
The National Coalition for Sexual Health (NCSH) is launching a new “Guide to Sexual Concerns and Pleasure” to help the public understand common sexual concerns and take action to address them. Available online, this free Guide includes common sexual concerns and their causes along with practical solutions, such as self-education and exploration, partner communication, lifestyle changes, and seeking health care and/or therapy. Also, to help people talk openly with partners, health care providers and therapists, the Guide features tips and scripts. The Guide concludes with an extensive list of online resources to learn more about a variety of sexual difficulties and solutions.
HIV Medical Association New Summary Table: COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations for People with HIV
This new summary table covers the latest vaccination recommendations for people with HIV, including for booster and supplemental doses, based on CDC’s recommendations and FDA authorizations for the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and J&J/Janssen vaccines.
Building Healthy Online Communities’ Ad Clearinghouse
BHOC has worked with public health agencies and community organizations to compile fully designed digital and printed campaign materials for a variety of sexual health topics. Campaigns include posters, digital ads, videos and more! Rather than spending funds hiring designers to create new campaigns, these campaigns are ready to go, and you can use your funding on ad placement and other material printing costs instead. Go to BHOCpartners.org/ads. Email [email protected] to get more info on how to submit your materials.
From the Field: Research, Policy, and Project Updates
Call for Abstracts for the 2022 STD Prevention Conference (Virtual)
The Scientific Program Committee invites papers of high quality to be submitted for presentation at the virtual 2022 STD Prevention Conference, September 19-22, 2022. A notification will be sent when the official portal for abstract submissions opens. Abstracts sent by mail, fax or email will NOT be accepted. Abstract submissions are peer-reviewed for scientific content, logical presentation, timeliness, and current interest of the topic to the scientific community. The deadline to submit abstracts in the portal will be Friday, March 11, 2022 at 11:59pm PT.
7% of HIV Cases are Attributed to STI infections—Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, and Trichomoniasis
Available modeling evidence suggests that approximately 1900 to 3000 HIV infections were attributable to chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis in 2018 in the United States, costing approximately $1 billion.
Events and Webinars
Part 3: Intersection of Misogynoir, Obstetric Racism & HIV
January 7 at 9:30am PT
Hosted by: The Pacific AIDS Education & Training Center, HIVE, and the National Clinician Consultation Center
PrEP Guidelines: What Local Health Departments Should Know
January 17 at 2:00pm ET
Hosted by: NACCHO
January 25 at 2:00pm ET
Hosted by: NACCHO and NCSD
