HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Digest
March 23, 2022
Highlights of the Week
They are updating these modeling spreadsheets to incorporate new data, make them more user-friendly and accessible, and be more relevant to STD program decision-making needs. To do this, they are recruiting state and local stakeholders to participate in a focus group.
Participants will independently complete a guided exercise to practice using the modeling spreadsheets. This will take approximately 1-2 hours and can be done at your convenience. DSTDP will then schedule a 90-minute interactive Zoom call (with about 2-3 state or local stakeholders per call) to hear about your experiences working with the tools, and specific ways the models could be improved to be more accessible and relevant to your decision needs. DSTDP wants these tools to be usable and useful to all jurisdictions and a range of staff, so you do not need to be a data analyst or a model user.
If you are interested, please contact Dayne Collins by Friday, March 25th.
CDC HIV Incidence and Surveillance Data Announcement
COVID-19 has affected nearly every facet of our daily lives. The pandemic has also disrupted HIV testing services and clinic attendance making the interpretation of surveillance data more complex in 2020. For these reasons, provisional HIV surveillance data tables will not be released this month. The HIV data tables will be issued in May 2022, when the full reports that provide commentary and contextual information will be published (2020 HIV Surveillance Report and HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report: Monitoring HIV Prevention and Care Outcomes Using Surveillance Data, 2020). Because of the disruptions in testing and clinical services, some derived estimates based on these data (e.g., incidence, knowledge of status) will not be possible for 2020.
Announcements
Local Health Department and Telehealth Services and Practices
NACCHO is interested in learning more to ensure LHDs have the resources and support to optimize telehealth services and highlight best practices so LHDs can continue to learn from each other. This survey assesses LHD telehealth services. Please complete this survey by 11:59 PM ET on Thursday, March 31. For questions or extensions, please contact Shalesha Majors at [email protected].
This survey is part of NACCHO’s Sentinel Network, which gives participants 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 (MYNACCHO login required) or visit our website for more information.
Join NACCHO’s HIV, STI, & Viral Hepatitis Sentinel Network (MyNACCHO Login Required)
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
NACCHO Releases National Scan of Congenital Syphilis Prevention and Control Efforts
NACCHO has collected info on congenital syphilis (CS) prevention & control interventions/activities. A compendium of the collected responses has been developed to increase peer-to-peer collaboration and improve congenital syphilis prevention efforts. We encourage you to enter your local interventions/activities, regardless of whether the intervention/activity has been evaluated. Your entries will be added to our compendium.
Resources and News
Attend and Share the Minority Student HIV Open!
Minority Student Open is an inaugural event hosted by Academy Council for Racial Equity – aimed at engaging minority students and trainees who may be interested in pursuing a health career in the field of HIV care, prevention or research. The event is virtual, free, and open to all. The event will take place on March 30 from 2:00pm - 4:30pm ET and includes panel discussions on Career Pathways in HIV. These discussions will be preceded by a plenary session by Dr. Keith Rawlings – an HIV expert known to many of you for his years contributing to the field of HIV healthcare.
CDC STD Awareness Week Materials Are Now Available!
CDC STD awareness week materials are now available! STD Awareness Week, observed the second full week in April, provides an opportunity to raise awareness about STDs and how they impact our lives; reduce STD-related stigma, fear, and discrimination; and ensure people have the tools and knowledge to prevent, test for, and treat STD This year’s social media packages contains three campaigns: Get Yourself Tested, Talk, Test, Treat, and Prepare Before You’re There. Make sure to check it out and participate in this year’s activities!
HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Resource Inventory Compiler
The IHAP TAC is excited to share our latest tool to support Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan development. The HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Resource Inventory Compiler supports data collection, generates a formatted HIV Resources Inventory table, and includes a dashboard for easy data analysis. The Excel tool can be shared with multiple users to input data for the HIV funding sources they receive, and then combined into one, comprehensive file of all HIV resources in the jurisdiction. Contact [email protected] with questions or if you need assistance with the tool.
From the Field: Research, Policy, and Project Updates
SAMHSA Announces Grant Funding for HIV/AIDS Projects
Minority AIDS Initiative – Service Integration (MAI-SI) : Due April 25
Description: The purpose of this program is to provide resources to help reduce the co-occurring epidemics of HIV, Hepatitis, and mental health disorders through accessible, evidence-based, culturally appropriate mental and co-occurring disorder treatment that is integrated with HIV primary care and prevention services.
Minority AIDS Initiative: Substance Use Disorder Treatment for Racial/Ethnic Minority Populations at High Risk for HIV/AIDS : Due April 29
The purpose of this program is to increase engagement in care for racial and ethnic underrepresented individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) and/or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders (COD) who are at risk for or living with HIV/AIDS and receive HIV/AIDS services/treatment.
Substance Abuse and HIV Prevention Navigator Program for Racial/Ethnic Minorities Cooperative Agreement : Due May 2
The purpose of this program is to provide substance misuse and HIV prevention services to racial/ethnic minority males at risk for HIV/AIDS. The program will place an emphasis on males who have sex with other males (MSM), including transgender individuals, as well as those who identify as LGBTQ+ who are not in stable housing and reside in communities with high incidence rates of HIV.
In the News
- Covid chaos fueled another public health crisis: STDs - POLITICO
- With record number of sexually transmitted infections, California pushes home tests - Live Feeds
- Free Hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis testing for the month of March - Idaho State Journal
- State sees increase number of STDs - Guard Online
- Syphilis cases surging in Arkansas, especially among women - KAIT8
Events and Webinars
Check Yourself: A Public Health Solution for Non-Clinic Based, Self-Collect STI Testing
March 24th
2:00pm ET – 3:00pm ET
Hosted by: NCSD
March NCSD Clinic+ Connect Community Call
March 25th
1:30pm ET – 2:30pm ET
Hosted by: NCSD
2021 CDC STI Guidelines Bootcamp: Where To Look and What To Do?
April 13th
2:00pm ET – 3:00 pm ET
Hosted by: HRSA
Viral Hepatitis: Advances in Care and Treatment- Closing the Gap!
May 19th
2:00pm ET – 3:30pm ET
Hosted by: HRSA
