HIV, STI, Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Digest

May 8, 2024

Check us out at NACCHO360!

Going for Gold: Establishing Rapid Start as a Jurisdictional Standard of Care for People Living with HIV

Interested in Rapid Start for people living with HIV? You don’t want to miss this session!

Jurisdiction-level promotion of Rapid Start is essential for Ending the HIV Epidemic. Learn about findings & technical assistance resources from NACCHO/CAI’s initiative identifying key “Drivers” of Rapid Start implementation and hear from health departments participating in NACCHO/CAI’s Rapid Start Jurisdiction Learning Community about their progress made in adopting Rapid Start.

NACCHO News and Announcements

Request for Proposals: Capacity-Building/Training Assistance for STI/HIV Program Director Orientation

NACCHO is partnering with the CDC Division of STD Prevention to conduct STD and HIV program management and leadership capacity-building activities over the next five years. One of the initial activities is a new STD/HIV program director orientation. This will take place July 11-12 in Washington, D.C.

We are seeking proposals to help with designing and leading sessions for the orientation. The training will focus on various program director’s responsibilities.

All details of the short RFP are here. The deadline to submit is May 16, 2024. Please submit via email to [email protected].

If applicants have any questions, please contact Sonia Almonte, STI Senior Program Analyst, at [email protected].

NACCHO is launching our STI/HIV program director training and mentorship program! Please apply today!

NACCHO’s training and mentorship program for STD/HIV program directors in local and tribal health departments is a unique opportunity to receive free technical assistance, including a new director orientation, a leadership academy, and a mentorship program.

We are eager to promote our first training offering the New STI/HIV Director Orientation, a unique opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills in program leadership. This in-person orientation is scheduled for July 11-12, 2024, in Washington, DC. Please fill out the application by Friday, May 17, 2024.

Due to limited space, we will select participants based on a variety of factors, including the jurisdictional burden of disease/infection, years of experience, and geographic/population size diversity.

If you have any questions, please contact Sonia Almonte, STI Senior Program Analyst, at [email protected].

NEW RESOURCES! Pharmacists Role in STI Prevention & Treatment

In collaboration with the NACCHO, the National Alliance of State Pharmacists Associations (NASPA) has launched a website dedicated to the Pharmacists Role in STI Prevention and Treatment. This site examines state policies and recent STI rates in the U.S., identifying gaps in STI care. It specifically focuses on providing information about areas where pharmacists can contribute, such as delivering results, interpreting laboratory tests, and administering injectables. Interactive maps provide state-by-state legal interpretation of various pharmacy scope of practice issues. Check out the website here.

Gender Diverse Approaches to ‘Chemsex’ Webinar

May 14, 2024 1 PM – 2 PM ET

The second session in our Gender Diverse Approaches to Community Health Webinar Series will apply a harm reduction lens to the topic of ‘Chemsex’ among transgender/gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals. Chemsex, an abbreviation of chemical sex, refers to the voluntary ingestion of psychoactive and non-psychoactive substances in the context of sexual activities in order to enhance sexual experience. Harm reduction is a set of strategies used to reduce the harm of substances and can be employed to address this phenomenon. This session will equip participants with knowledge around harm reduction and chemsex, and will inform them about effectively working with TGNC individuals who may be engaging in this practice.

Register here.

Are you marketing your STI services? Do you want to?

If you answered “yes” to either of those questions, join NACCHO and KFF’s Social Impact Media for STI Marketing Office Hours!! The open discussion session will be Wednesday, May 22nd at 2 pm EST. Participants will get the chance to ask their burning questions about marketing campaigns, share ideas and expertise with each other, and walk away with knowledge and resources to improve their own marketing campaigns. The Zoom link can be found here; pre-registration is preferred, so please also fill out the interest form here.

Gender Diverse Approaches to Providing Affirming Care Webinar

June 20, 2024 1 PM – 2 PM ET

The final webinar in our Gender Diverse Approaches to Community Health Webinar Series will explore methods for providing care for TGNC people. The panel will include topics such as affirming language, creating safe space and an exploration of health issues that TGNC people feel are priorities for them. Our panel will include TGNC people speaking from their experiences receiving care, providing care and on the data around best practices to helping TGNC clients feel seen, heard and cared for.

Register here.

HIV, STI, Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Resources and News

Happy National Adolescent Health Month!

The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) celebrates National Adolescent Health Month (NAHM) each May to encourage conversations and action to take to improve and maintain adolescent health.

This year, NAHM will focus on Take Action for Adolescents– A Call to Action for Adolescent Health and Well-Being (“Take Action for Adolescents”), which envisions that all adolescents in the United States have the safety, support, and resources to thrive, be healthy, and have equitable opportunity to realize their full potential. It outlines eight goals, each with initial action steps, designed to inspire individuals and organizations to develop innovative approaches that help young people thrive.

To learn more about this commemoration, check out the website here.

Tackling STIs and Syphilis Prevention with DoxyPEP

Last month, the Bureau of Primary Health Care held a pivotal webinar designed for clinicians, public health professionals, and other healthcare providers focused on the forefront of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention. This session was dedicated to addressing the surge in syphilis rates through innovative approaches, particularly highlighting the role of DoxyPEP (Doxycycline Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) as an emerging tool in the arsenal against STIs.

Check out the recording here.

STI Insurance Policy Aid

Adequate and affordable insurance coverage is a key factor that helps determine who has streamlined access to sexual health care, including STI treatment and prevention services. NCSD’s state policy team analyzed state legislation across several jurisdictions to identify policy mechanisms that aim to expand insurance coverage for STI-related care. Learn more about recent state policy trends in insurance coverage for STI services, including best practices for policy development, messaging, and coalition-building.

Learn More.

Webinar: SPACE Tool 2.0

The STI Prevention Allocation Consequences Estimator (SPACE Tool 2.0) is an updated, user-friendly spreadsheet tool to help health departments estimate the impact of changes in their sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention budgets. Join the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), CDC, and NCSD for an informative webinar to learn more about the tool and how recent updates better reflect the needs of jurisdictions today.

Learn More.

2024 STI Prevention Conference

The STI Prevention Conference is a biennial conference that brings together leading researchers with government experts, clinical STD care providers, and state and local public health administrators. Join more than 1,200 conference attendees September 16-19, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia, for four days of scientific updates and cutting-edge sessions on science, program, and policy.

Register here.

Erythromycin Ophthalmic Ointment (0.5%) Shortage Update from the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention

Erythromycin ophthalmic ointment (0.5%) is the only CDC recommended regimen for the prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the shortage of this medication is a result of several changes in the market. Since 2022, multiple pharmaceutical companies have discontinued (Padagis US) or decreased manufacturing and distribution (Bausch Health America and Armas Pharmaceutical) of erythromycin ointment (0.5%) in the US. To help mitigate these shortages, the FDA has approved a temporary importation of limited quantities of erythromycin ophthalmic ointment (0.5%) from Canada’s Steri-Med Pharma.

To assist during this shortage, CDC has updated the clinical considerations for ophthalmia neonatorum prophylaxis options for those who do not have access to erythromycin ophthalmic ointment. Please see the CDC webpage on the availability of STI Testing and Treatment Products for additional information.

The most important strategy to prevent gonorrhea and chlamydia in neonates is through prenatal screening and treatment during pregnancy. The interim clinical considerations are intended to be used in addition to prenatal screening and monitoring of all neonates for signs of ophthalmia neonatorum. Please consider your local populations, resources, and policies when selecting alternative methods of ophthalmia neonatorum prevention. It remains unknown how long this current erythromycin ophthalmic ointment (0.5%) shortage will persist. Please share this information widely to all clinicians that may be interested.

If you would like additional information and updates about this shortage, please visit the FDA Drug Shortages webpage. If you need clinical decision-making support, you can contact the STD Clinical Consultation Network.

2024 National Sex Ed Conference Proposal Application

The Center for Sex Education is thrilled to invite you to submit your innovative workshop and presentation proposals for the 2024 National Sex Ed Conference! Join us in the vibrant city of Philadelphia from December 10-13, 2024, for an enlightening experience like no other.

Deadline for Proposals: May 15, 2024 Submit Your Ideas Here.

For detailed submission guidelines and instructions, please visit the Proposal Guidelines.