NACCHO News and Announcements
Input Requested: Complete Space Hacks in Motion Survey
Balanced Imperfection, with funding from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), is expanding their work on Space Hacks to include mobile harm reduction services in the addition to fixed site harm reduction programs. Space Hacks, like the original Harm Reduction Hacks, is based on community wisdom and focused on best practices for safety and de-escalation protocols and practices for harm reduction programs. Your input is vital to this!
You may have taken a previous version of this survey that was designed for fixed site harm reduction programs. This survey is a continuation of that project, and was created to gain insights into the factors contributing to escalated/problematic situations specifically at mobile and outreach based syringe access and harm reduction programs, to identify common current practices for maintaining operational ease and seamless site management and to collect the questions and concerns of harm reduction community members regarding those issues in order to ensure we address them effectively in our end product.
The survey is confidential. We anticipate the survey will take about 30-45 minutes. The first 30 people who qualify will receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Visit the survey link for more details. Harm Reduction Hacks: Space Hacks in Motion Survey or by scan the QR code.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Catherine Swanson at [email protected]
HIV Is Not a Crime: A Discussion on Legal, Policy, Health & Equity Considerations Related to HIV Criminalization
Wednesday, December 11 from 12-1:30 PM ESTRegister to attend here.
In recognition of World AIDS Day, NACCHO is honored to host the CDC Division of HIV Prevention, the Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), and the South Carolina Department of Public Health for a conversation about the legal, policy, and equity repercussions of HIV criminalization and the role of health departments in addressing and protecting communities from harms enacted by these statutes.
After more than 40 years of HIV research and significant biomedical advancements to treat and prevent HIV, most HIV criminalization laws do not reflect current scientific and medical evidence. These laws are unjust, increase stigma, exacerbate disparities, lead to inequities, and may discourage HIV testing. Under existing laws in most states, the behavior of people with HIV can be criminalized for potentially exposing others to HIV. Actual transmission or intent to transmit HIV is not usually required.
This webinar will provide an overview of the state of HIV criminalization laws in the U.S. and highlight tools and best practices for addressing and preventing harm from HIV criminalization. Participants will learn about the roles and responsibilities of LHDs in protecting communities from HIV criminalization, including examples of data privacy protections, community partnerships, and de-stigmatization activities.
Register for this webinar here: https://naccho.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IgeMLgz7Q0KEtzgQN2hHow
For any questions about this webinar, please contact Julia Zigman at [email protected].
Status Neutral Approach to Improved HIV Prevention and Health Outcomes for Racial and Ethnic Minorities
The Status Neutral Approach to Improved HIV Prevention and Health Outcomes for Racial and Ethnic Minorities (SNAP) initiative aims to advance the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of whole-person approaches to reduce disparities, prevent new HIV diagnoses, and improve health outcomes for communities disproportionately affected by HIV and related syndemics. Whole-person approaches to HIV prevention and care emphasize comprehensive and high-quality care to engage and retain people in services. The SNAP Evaluation and Technical Assistance Provider (ETAP) team, led by JSI in partnership with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), supports four funded jurisdictions to develop, implement, and evaluate a whole-person approach. They include Bexar County, Texas; Clark County, Nevada; Hennepin County, Minnesota; and the County of San Diego, California. The SNAP Initiative is funded by HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau through the Secretary’s Minority HIV/AIDS Fund (MHAF). Learn more at snapetap.jsi.com
HIV, STI, Hepatitis & Harm Reduction Resources and News
Open RFPs: In support of the Hub and Spoke Center of Excellence in Harm Reduction project
Regional Centers of Excellence?in Harm Reduction?(Full RFP and application can be accessed here)
NASTAD is seeking applications from eligible organizations to become Regional Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in Harm Reduction. Regional CoEs will be funded and supported to provide local/regional harm reduction-related training, technical assistance, and capacity building activities and facilitate relationships among SSPs and between harm reduction programs and public health partners. This project aims to increase SSP sustainability and scale up best practices by building or expanding regional networks of mutual aid, collaboration, and cross-program learning.
Application Deadline: January 5, 2025, 11:59pm PST
Number of awards: 6 – 8
Award amounts may vary, anticipated funding is $85,000 - $125,000 per award
Period of performance: Year 1 of this program will run from February 1, 2025 - July 31, 2025
Please contact [email protected] with any questions. Thank you!
NASTAD is also releasing two requests for proposals to support CDC PHIC: Improving Communication about the Drug Supply to Improve Health Outcomes among PWUD.
This project aims to improve the quality of and access to community drug checking information, drug use-related morbidity and mortality data, and related harm reduction recommendations through the provision of tailored technical assistance and through strategic coordination, product creation, landscape analysis, and the facilitation of a learning exchange with people who use drugs to identify and disseminate effective, meaningful, and actionable strategies for communicating about the drug supply.
Learning Exchange with People Who Use Drugs on Drug Supply Communications
Proposal Due Date: January 5, 2025
Period of Performance: February 1, 2025 – July 31, 2025
Total Award: $43,000
Drug Supply Communications Landscape Assessment and Public Health Communications Toolkit
Proposal Due Date: January 5, 2025
Period of Performance: February 1, 2025 – July 31, 2025
Total Award: $45,000
Seeking Objective Reviewers for the DIS Certification Project
The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) is seeking Objective Reviewers for proposals submitted by its members. ASPPH is collaborating with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) to lead the National Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) Certification Project. Implemented by the ASPPH Center for Public Health Workforce Development, the Certified in Disease Intervention (CDI) Program contributes to CDC’s workforce capacity efforts to improve public health services provided to communities by disease intervention professionals. Serving as an Objective Reviewer will enhance your professional profile and allow you to play a crucial role in shaping the CDI Program. Additionally, you will utilize your evaluative and analytical expertise to gain further insights into this national public health initiative.
Project: Developing a Continuing Education Resources Repository for Disease Intervention Professionals
Review Period: January 9 – 23, 2025
Project Outcomes:
- Identify and collaborate with key national partner organizations to determine existing educational resources and gaps for the DI workforce professional development opportunities.
- Identify high-quality educational resources for DI professionals to prepare for the CDI exam and use toward recertification efforts, mapped to DI core competencies.
- Identify high-quality educational resources related to best practices in test taking success.
- Recommend strategies for maintaining the educational resources repository.
Objective Reviewers will be asked to score a maximum of three proposals using a simple scoring rubric. It takes approximately 30 minutes to review each proposal and reviewers will serve on a voluntary basis. If you’re interested in participating as an objective reviewer, please email [email protected].
First and Only In-Home Rapid Test for Syphilis Now Available to Consumers through Major Retailers and Public Health
With syphilis cases on the rise, NOWDx’s over-the-counter test offers rapid, in-home results in minutes and is now available nationwide in thousands of pharmacies, retail, and drugstore locations and on Amazon. Click here to learn more.
NEW doxy PEP locator
CDC’s NPIN has launched a new doxy PEP locator! This new, centralized platform allows individuals to find locations near them offering doxy PEP. Currently, there are 300+ providers in our system at launch, and we’re actively adding more each week.
Visit FindDoxyPep.cdc.gov to explore the site; note the locator is also available in Spanish at FindDoxyPep.cdc.gov/es. Please share broadly, and feel free to contact the NPIN team if you have any follow-up questions.
