HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Digest
January 20, 2022
Highlights of the Week
NACCHO Releases Registry of STD Clinics Across the United States
NACCHO has developed a searchable tool for existing STD clinics and their services. We encourage any clinic devoted to examining and treating STDS and/or clinics that have staff and service hours dedicated to STDs to register. Please use the following submission form to add your site to the registry. For more information, contact Shalesha Majors, Program Analyst, HIV, STI, & Viral Hepatitis at [email protected] with any questions.
Job Opportunities
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.
Announcements
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 above 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
The Sentinel Network is an opportunity to shape national technical assistance & engage with colleagues nationwide. Members engage in topics such as HIV, STI, & Viral Hepatitis programs, partnerships, needs, challenges, etc. Sign up here or visit our website for more information.
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.
Resources and News
Now Available: CDC National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) Digital Toolkit
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is coming up on Monday, February 7. CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together (Together) has a new digital toolkit available for your use. Make sure to hare the social media posts to help spark conversations about HIV and highlight progress being made to reduce HIV among Black or African American people. If you post, please use #StopHIVTogether and tag @cdchiv on Facebook, @cdc_hivaids on Twitter and @stophivtogether on Instagram
NCSL launched a new tool that will bring up-to-date, real-time information about state legislative activity (i.e., bills) related to our topic areas that have been introduced in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. You can search legislation starting in 2021 by state, topic, keyword, year, status, or primary sponsor. Public health topics included in the database include infectious disease prevention and treatment, public health information and reporting, public health workforce and vaccines. Bill information in the database is updated every two weeks. New measures are added as they are introduced or identified by NCSL staff.
NCSD Launches Congenital Syphilis Workshops
NCSD is hosting a series of workshops on congenital syphilis to highlight some of the innovative approaches’ jurisdictions are taking to combat these increasing numbers and create space for community action planning and problem solving. Click the link above for more details and to register.
2022 CSTE HIV Subcommittee SAS e-Learning Training Application
The application to receive SAS e-Learning training through the CSTE HIV Subcommittee is now open! Please click the link above to access the 2022 CSTE HIV Subcommittee SAS e-Learning Training application. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Please note that we have limited funding for SAS e-Learning trainings. Applications are due January 31 at 11:59pm ET.
NOW OPEN: NCSD CONDOM CONNECT 2022 APPLICATION
The NCSD-TrojanTM Brand Condoms partnership was born in 2014 in order to score hundreds of thousands of condoms for NCSD member health departments. Church & Dwight, the parent company of Trojan TM Brand Condoms, leverages its resources in collaboration with NCSD to promote condoms. To date, over 3 million condoms have been donated to programs and partners across the nation. Today, the partnership is continuing to flourish.
Project Goals of Condom Connect:
- Expand access to condoms by addressing common barriers
- Promote normalization of condom use
- Increase condom distribution throughout the US in cities, states, and territories
- Create new messaging around condoms in the advent of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
Leading Viral Hepatitis Research and Advocacy Groups Launch Hep ElimiNATION
The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center (O’Neill Institute), the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR), and the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School (CHLPI) launched Hep ElimiNATION, a partnership to study viral hepatitis elimination efforts across the United States. Hep ElimiNATION is the country’s first comprehensive analysis of the policy landscape and programmatic strategies aimed at viral hepatitis elimination in the 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
From the Field: Research, Policy, and Project Updates
New Jersey Decriminalizes Transmission of HIV/AIDS
Senate just passed New Jersey S-3707 bill, that was formulated in an effort to modernize New Jersey’s decrees related to the transmission of HIV/AIDS and reduce the stigma suffered by individuals living with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. The S-3707 legislation sponsored by Senators Joe Vitale and M. Teresa Ruiz, would eliminate crimes that are solely applicable to individuals living with HIV/AIDS and STIs.
NEW California Law Pushes At-Home Testing of STIs Amid Soaring Rates of Infections
California has become the first state to require health insurance plans to cover at-home tests for sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, chlamydia and syphilis — which could help quell the STI epidemic that has raged nearly unchecked as public health departments have focused on COVID-19
During October 2019, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health (WVBPH) noted that an increasing number of persons who inject drugs (PWID) in Kanawha County received a diagnosis of HIV. The number of HIV diagnoses among PWID increased from less than five annually during 2016–2018 to 11 during January–October 2019. Kanawha County has high rates of opioid use disorder and overdose deaths, which have been increasing since 2016, and the county is located near Cabell County, which experienced an HIV outbreak among PWID during 2018–2019. Read more details from this article by clicking the link above.
In the News
After surviving cervical cancer, I’m teaching my kids about sexual health to save their lives – Washington Post
How parents should talk about sex with their kids (hint: honestly) – Los Angeles Times
FDA approves first injectable drug to prevent HIV- USA Today
When Should Youth Get Tested for HIV or Start PrEP?- POZ
Events and Webinars
Increasing Rates of Congenital Syphilis: Overall Trends and Themes
January 20 at 1:00pm ET
Hosted by: NCSD
January 25 at 2:00pm ET
Hosted by: NACCHO and NCSD
Surveillance, Case Review, and Data-Driven Approaches to Congenital Syphilis
January 25 at 2:00pm ET
Hosted by: NCSD
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) Webinar
January 27 at 1:00pm ET
Hosted by: CDC, Let’s Stop HIV Together
Harm Reduction Vending Machine Q&A session
February 11 at 1pm ET
Hosted by: Caracole
