HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Digest
March 29, 2023
NACCHO News and Announcements
Addressing Social Inequities and STI Disparities Webinar
During the upcoming STI Awareness Week, join the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for a webinar, Addressing Social Inequities and STI Disparities, on Thursday, April 13th at 2pm EST as we discuss social inequities and STI disparities amongst Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). We will be joined by Errol Fields, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. During this webinar, Dr. Fields will specifically focus on syphilis and its disproportionate burden on the Black community, as well as how race and sexuality contribute to sexual health disparities, and strategies that can be employed to eliminate those disparities.
NACCHO, the voice of our country’s local health departments, applauds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updating its hepatitis B screening and testing recommendations. Learn more about the new recommendations and their impact for local health departments HERE.
HIV, STI, and Hepatitis Resources and News
OIDP Listening Sessions
OIDP will host two separate listening sessions next week for provider and community audiences on HSV. OIDP is currently developing an addendum to the STI National Strategic Plan (STI Plan) to include herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 in the United States.
These listening sessions provide an opportunity for OIDP, along with leadership from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other federal agencies involved in the national STI response to listen and learn from providers about the ways the HSV addendum can support their work, as well as an opportunity to listen and learn from the community to center their needs in the HSV addendum.
The virtual HSV listening sessions will take place on:
- Providers: [Tuesday, April 4, 2023, from 3:00pm-4:30pm (EST)]
- Community: [Thursday, April 6, from 1:00pm- 2:30pm (EST)]
Register here for the Provider Listening Session.
Register here for the Community Listening Session.
If you have any questions, please contact Hannah Grow, [email protected].
STI Awareness Week CDC Materials
STI Awareness Week will be here before you know it, beginning April 9th and ending April 15th. There’s plenty of information to share, campaigns to repost, and resources to elevate, but NACCHO’s made it a little bit easier. We’ve attached several CDC campaigns below- choose the one (or ones) that feel best for you.
Hepatitis B Foundation releases white paper calling health care providers into action following new hepatitis B screening and vaccination recommendations
Addressing the new CDC guidance, the paper is titled, “Call to Action:
Eliminating Hepatitis B Virus through Universal Screening and Vaccination for Adults Ages 19-59.”
Doylestown, Pa., March 15, 2023 – After the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week released new guidance for hepatitis B screening, adding to updated recommendations on vaccination that the CDC put out last spring, the Hepatitis B Foundation sprang into action.
The Foundation has produced a white paper with guidance on how health care providers in the U.S. can begin implementing these new universal hepatitis B screening and vaccination (for adults ages 19-59) guidelines.
This resource serves as a call to action for providers. It summarizes the key challenges to universal screening and vaccination and suggests potential strategies to optimize the implementation. The paper makes clear that it is imperative we have urgent action in three key areas: educating stakeholders, exploring multi-stakeholder collaborations and technology innovations, and addressing vaccine hesitancy.
The white paper is intended to be a resource for all providers, as various health care settings will require different strategies for successful implementation. In addition to challenges and implementation strategies for universal screening and vaccination, the white paper includes best practices from groups who have begun implementation and resources for providers to access tools in hepatitis B prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment.
NASTAD is pleased to announce the release of the updated Trauma-Informed Approaches Toolkit and microsite
This toolkit was originally developed in 2018 to assist health departments, specifically Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part B and AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), AIDS services organizations, and HIV clinics to take action to become trauma-informed and apply the concepts in their service provision. In this updated and expanded version, the toolkit still covers the basics of trauma, provides an overview of the impact of trauma in people with HIV, and describes trauma-informed approaches and strategies; however, it also centers healing and includes new components such as organizational trauma and resilience, and workforce wellness. The toolkit also includes five new tools and assessments created by NASTAD specifically geared towards RWHAP recipients, HIV prevention programs, and other related community and clinical programs and organizations.
We are grateful for the contributions of the TIA Toolkit Advisory Panel, consisting of technical experts, health department staff, and lived experts, who informed the re-development of this toolkit to ensure it better represents the experience of those working and participating in HIV programs.
Please contact Mahelet Kebede if you have questions.
The Telehealth Strategies to Maximize HIV Care: Advancing Equity through Telehealth Coordination in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Request for Proposals (RFP) is now available
Eligible applicants include RWHAP-funded recipients or subrecipients that provide outpatient/ambulatory health services and conduct telehealth video visits. Proposals are due by 11:59 pm EST on May 1, 2023.
Register for the RFP technical assistance webinar on Monday, March 20, 2023 at 1:00 pm EST. For questions about the RFP, email [email protected].
An estimated five (5) sites will be awarded. The anticipated total project funding is $450,000 per site for the project period of June 1, 2023 – July 31, 2025. Separate budget period awards will be made annually. JSI will provide technical assistance for implementing and adapting the telehealth strategies and oversee a multi-site evaluation.
The purpose of the initiative is to identify and maximize the use of telehealth strategies that are most effective in improving linkage to care, retention in care, and health outcomes, including viral suppression, for people with HIV who receive services through the RWHAP. By increasing utilization of effective telehealth strategies, the initiative aims to advance equity in HIV care for people we have not yet successfully maintained in care or populations that historically experience poor health outcomes.
See the RFP for a complete description of the telehealth coordination strategies and program requirements.
Black Trans Nation Sexual Health Resource Guide
At Black Trans Nation, they are committed to creating materials to help members of the trans community stay healthy and educated about sexual health and HIV prevention. They offer a comprehensive resource guide outlining risks, educational resources, and harm reduction options for trans individuals, a Sexual Health Resource Guide, Trans-Specific Health Education material such as videos and workshops, Acceptance and Inclusion materials to ensure a safe environment for access of services, a Transgender Health Advocacy Network, and a Trans-Inclusive Substance Use Education and Treatment Resources guide. Whether you’re a health care provider, a community organizer, or a trans individual, you can find everything you need to know about sexual health and HIV prevention right here at Black Trans Nation. Visit their website https://blacktransnation.org/membership-join-page and take advantage of all the resources, materials, and support they have to offer.
National Network of Disease Intervention Training Centers
The National Network of Disease Intervention Training Centers (NNDITC) provides training for Disease Intervention Providers to enhance skills such as rapport building and problem solving when working with various communities to intervene in the spread of disease. There are currently 4 regional centers that are established to meet your training needs:
- Region 1: Health NY DITC
- Region 2: Health Care Education and Training Inc DITC
- Region 3: Denver Prevention Training Center/Denver DITC
- Region 4: University of California, San Francisco DITC
Registration information and profile creation can be found here. Select courses that suit your time needs and we look forward to seeing you in our training.
List of courses:
- Cultural Humility: An Approach to Working with People Who Use Drugs
- Demystifying Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity for Disease Intervention Providers
- Disclosure of STI/HIV Status within the Context of Self-Referral of Partners
- Maintaining Personal Safety During Field Notifications
- Motivational Interviewing for Disease Intervention Providers
- Self-Care for Disease Intervention Providers
- STI/HIV Interview Series: Overview of STI/HIV Interviewing
- STI/HIV Interview Series: Sexual/Drug Sharing Partner and Social Network Contact Elicitation: A Deeper Dive
- STI/HIV Interview Series: Social and Medical History Taking: The Why Behind the What
- STI/HIV Interview Series: The Anatomy of Problem Solving During STI/HIV Interviews
- Strengthening Cultural Humility Awareness When Working with Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM)
