HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Digest
January 17, 2024
NACCHO News and Announcements
Call for ALL STD/HIV Program Directors
Are you overseeing the Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) and/or HIV portfolio in your city or county? Do you supervise staff working for the STD and/or HIV programs?
If you answered YES to ANY of the above questions, we would like to hear from you! NACCHO is currently developing a training and mentorship program for STD/HIV program directors, and would appreciate your valuable feedback! Take a moment to complete this short online interest form.
2024 NACCHO/NCSD DIS Scholarship Application
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and The National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) are pleased to offer scholarships for disease intervention specialists (DIS) who work in local and state health departments to attend NCSD’s annual meeting, STI Engage. This meeting will be held in person in Washington, DC and will take place on June 2-5, 2024.
Both organizations recognize all that DIS have done and do to support the STI workforce and would like to honor that through this opportunity! Selected scholars will be able to attend numerous sessions focused on STI prevention and control, as well as sessions specific to their workforce and the opportunity to network with your national DIS colleagues. Scholarships will cover conference registration, lodging, travel, and per diem expenses. For more information and to apply for this opportunity, please find the application here. Applications must be submitted by COB February 5, 2024.
Congenital Syphilis Community of Practice
Join NACCHO’s Congenital Syphilis (CS) Community of Practice (CoP)! Through this opportunity, local health department staff can engage in collaborative learning and knowledge-sharing activities that enhance their capacity to implement or scale-up interventions to address CS and syphilis among individuals of child-bearing capacity. The CoP is scheduled to resume in February 2024 and is open to any health department staff with interest in working to address congenital syphilis in their community. If interested and to learn more about the CS CoP, visit here. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to STI Senior Program Analyst, Sonia Almonte.
Marketing and Communications Survey Results
In late-2023, NACCHO jointly conducted a survey with KFF Social Impact Media to understand how local health departments (LHDs) are utilizing marketing and communications efforts. The survey assessed current practices, priorities, barriers, and areas for growth in the LHDs’ digital marketing and communication activities. We are thankful to have 75+ health departments complete the survey and if folks are interested in the results, they can be found here. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Daisha Washington, Senior Program Analyst, STIs.
Sexual Health Services in Jails Webinar (Part 2)
Join NACCHO on Wednesday, February 21st at 2pm EST for part two of our Sexual Health Services in Jails series! During this session, we will highlight several jail projects across the country, including Seattle-King County, Pueblo County, and Alabama Department of Public Health. Similar to the first session, we will discuss how these projects were developed/implemented, key staff involved, as well as lessons learned/best practices. We hope you can join us and if interested, please register here.
STI Marketing: How to Jumpstart Your Marketing Campaigns!
Are you currently working on a marketing campaign and wondering how to make it successful? Join NACCHO and KFF’s Social Impact Media on Tuesday, April 2nd at 2pm EST to learn about how three campaigns were developed from beginning to end! We will be joined by representatives of Cobb County, Northwest, and Three Rivers health departments. KFF will also share FREE digital resources for attendees to use for their campaigns. You don’t want to miss this! If interested, please register here.
HIV, STI, Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Resources & News
Hiring: Senior Program Manager, Health Departments & Community Partnerships
KFF’s Social Impact Media program is seeking a Senior Program Manager for health department and community partnerships.
KFF Social Impact Media produces and places social marketing campaigns on HIV, STIs and other health issues to reach disproportionately affected communities with accessible, trusted information; see Greater Than HIV / STIs and Greater Than COVID.
They work with state and local health departments on localized iterations of our campaigns designed to address local priorities and extend the reach of limited public resources.
KFF also has a large-scale ongoing partnership with Walgreens to bring health department and community partners into stores on National HIV Testing Day (June 27) to provide free testing and the latest information about prevention and treatment.
Learn more about the job opportunity and apply here.
Join the Largest National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) Event in the Nation!
Every June 27th, KFF’s Greater Than HIV and Walgreens invite health departments and community organizations into Walgreens stores to provide free rapid HIV tests and share the latest on prevention and treatment in support of NHTD.
This year, partners have the option to also offer rapid syphilis and hepatitis C testing.
Interested in being a part of the 2024 Greater Than HIV/Walgreens NHTD activation? Click here to learn more and complete a short questionnaire. Registration closes on Friday, January 27.
Questions? Email us at [email protected].
2024 Greater than HIV/Walgreens NHTD New Partner Interest Form
Every June 27th, KFF’s Greater Than HIV and Walgreens invite health departments and community organizations into Walgreens stores to provide free rapid HIV tests and share the latest on prevention and treatment in support of NHTD. This year, partners have the option to also offer rapid syphilis and hepatitis C testing. Interested in being a part of the 2024 Greater Than HIV/Walgreens NHTD activation? Please review this checklist and complete this short questionnaire as soon as possible. We will follow up with you to complete the registration process. Registration closes on Friday, January 26. Questions? Email us at [email protected].
FDA Announcement on Availability of Extencilline
CDC recently disseminated information regarding the FDA announcement about the availability of Extencilline to address the ongoing shortages of Bicillin L-A®. The FDA has exercised enforcement discretion for a temporary importation and use of this treatment temporarily to mitigate the effects of the Bicillin L-A® drug shortage. Extencilline has been determined to be equivalent to Bicillin L-A® and is currently authorized and marketed in other countries.
The FDA has provided distribution and administration information in a letter to healthcare providers (see the “Dear Healthcare Provider Letter”). Please note that the preparation and administration of Extencilline, as well as the contraindications for prescribing, differ from those for Bicillin-LA®. Extencilline will only be available by prescription in the United States. To place an order, please contact Direct Success at [email protected] or 1-877-404-3338. For additional information related to the product, please contact Provepharm, the U.S. distribution partner, at [email protected] or 610-601-8600.
News to Note
US Faces ‘Tragic’ Rise in Syphilis Cases With Life-Saving Drug in Short Supply - The Guardian
Upcoming Opportunities
Ending the Syndemic: Harm Reduction, PrEP and PEP: Preventing HIV
February 27, 2024
Staff serving American Indian & Alaska Native people are invited to participate in the Ending the Syndemic: Harm Reduction, PrEP and PEP: Preventing HIV virtual training. This 2.5-hour virtual training program is designed to aid clinicians in effectively integrating Harm Reduction, Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) services in Indian Health Service, Tribal and Urban Indian clinics to prevent HIV.
Register here.
