HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Digest
March 3, 2022
Highlights of the Week
Today is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – March 10th!
Today is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 10th). Though HIV diagnoses among women have declined in recent years, nearly 7,000 women received an HIV diagnosis in the United States and dependent areas in 2019. Only 10% of women who can benefit from PrEP were prescribed PrEP in the United States in 2019. Local health departments and health care providers can support women and girls living with HIV or women and girls who can benefit from HIV care and services by offering free HIV testing, informing patients on PrEP, and most importantly, eliminating the harmful stigma towards HIV/AIDS. Let’s Stop HIV Together also has a new patient brochure that provides important information on how women can prevent HIV by using PrEP. It offers tips on what questions women can ask their health care providers about PrEP.
Read more on observing and participating in National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS here.
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 Friday, March 18. 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.
Announcements
Share the STD Registry on Social Media for STD Awareness Week (April 10th – April 16th)
STD Awareness week is April 10th - April 16th, so start spreading the word about our STD registry! We’ve been working on an STD Registry, which will serve as searchable tool for existing STD clinics and their services. Any clinic devoted to examining and treating STDS and/or clinics that have staff and service hours dedicated to STDs can register. View suggested tweets, posts, newsletters entries, and images by clicking the link above!
FUNDING OPPORUTUNITY: Substance Use Stigma Assessment and Response (SSAR)
With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Injury Control and Prevention (NCIPC), NACCHO is pleased to announce a funding opportunity to local health departments (LHDs). Through this opportunity, NACCHO will award up to five (5) counties or cities to implement intervention to assess and respond to substance use related stigma within their communities. Awarded applicants will work with NACCHO, CDC, and subject matter experts to develop and distribute a substance use related stigma assessment, analyze the collected data, and plan and implement a communication, education, or training campaign to respond to the identified stigma-related issues. Applicants may request up to $220,000. Applications are due by 11:59 EST on March 21, 2022. Questions about this application can be directed to Francis Higgins, Senior Program Analyst, Injury and Violence Prevention ([email protected]).
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.
CDC’s InFORM Conference Now Accepting Registration Scholarships for NACCHO Members to Attend!
Get the opportunity to exchange expertise about improving surveillance systems and practices for detecting, investigating, and controlling enteric disease outbreaks with key experts in the field! NACCHO has secured numerous conference registration scholarships for NACCHO members involved with foodborne and enteric disease outbreak response at the local level. We expect the scholarship positions to be filled up quickly, so we encourage you to apply ASAP! To be considered, applications must be submitted no later than March 14. Besides local health officials, employees of state and tribal health departments as well as students are also eligible. Please note: If you plan to apply for a registration scholarship, please do not yet register. Apply for the scholarship first. All applicants will be notified of scholarship status by March 25. Click here to submit an InFORM registration scholarship application.
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!
The funding opportunity application deadline has been extended for HRSA HAB’s new Using Innovative Intervention Strategies to Improve Health Outcomes Among People With HIV, or 2iS. Awards of up to $190,000 annually are now available to support the use of innovative interventions to improve health outcomes among people with HIV. The Fenway Institute, in partnership with AIDS United, will serve as the Coordinating Center for Technical Assistance for this initiative.
SAMHSA Announces Grant Funding for HIV/AIDS Projects
- Minority AIDS Initiative – Service Integration (MAI-SI): Due April 25. 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.
LEARN Harm Reduction (HR) Applications Are OPEN!
LEARN HR consists of virtual group sessions, coaching sessions, and completion a harm reduction-centered project over the course of 7 months supported by a $10,000 stipend. Individuals must be located in the 12 Southern states (AL, AR, GA, FL, LA, KY, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX) to apply for this program. More information can be found within the application (due March 15). Please reach out to Katie McCormick with any questions.
What is the State of LGBTQ Health? Take the Inaugural Survey!
The National Coalition for LGBTQ Health’s Inaugural State of LGBTQ Health National Survey™ assesses the healthcare landscape for LGBTQ patient populations. This survey covers intersectional topics in LGBTQ health including clinical/behavioral health, stigma, social justice, housing/homelessness, health disparities among communities of color, and COVID-19. The insights you provide by completing this brief yet comprehensive survey will help inform ongoing advocacy, education, research, and training activities that support LGBTQ health care. Your input also will help determine the theme for the Coalition’s 20th Annual National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week to be held March 21-25, 2022.
From the Field: Research, Policy, and Project Updates
President Biden’s FY22 budget request calls for a $41 billion investment for national drug program agencies, a $669.9 million increase over the FY 2021 enacted level. This funding announcement caused an uproar in political arenas. The O’Neill Institute released a response of support on Biden’s FY22 budget and highlighted that harm reduction is an essential first step in engaging people who use drugs in healthcare and treatment services and must be the anchor for effective national drug policy.
Hepatitis B Foundation and Hep B Release New Fact Sheet on COVID-19 and Hepatitis
Hepatitis B Foundation and Hep B United have created a new patient-focused fact sheet on the co-administration of the COVID-19 vaccine with the hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or Flu vaccines.
In the News
- ‘Widespread disruption’ of STD testing has begun due to lack of blood sample tubes – Yahoo News
- A Woman Is Cured of H.I.V. Using a Novel Treatment – The New York Times
- HIV PrEP Awareness Increases Significantly, but Usage Still Lagging – Contagion Live
Events and Webinars
73rd Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA)
March 14 – March 15 at 10:00am ET – 4:30 pm ET
Hosted by: PACHA
March 16 at 1:00pm ET
Hosted by: Hamilton County Public Health
The Availability of HIV and STI Testing and Treatment Services at Crisis Pregnancy Centers
March 16 at 2:00pm ET
Hosted by: NCSD
Community-Based Approaches for Enhancing Population Health Practices
March 17 at 1:00pm ET
Hosted by: Division of STD Prevention
Optimizing PrEP in Practice: Guidelines & Clinical Considerations
March 24 at 1:00pm ET
Hosted by: Demetre C Daskalakis, MD, MPH, Director, Division of HIV Prevention ‚National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Addressing the Un-ending Epidemic: STIs and HIV in Mississippi
March 24 at 12:00pm CT
Hosted by: Denver PTC
