NACCHO News and Announcements

NACCHO Urges More Testing and Treatment in Response to New CDC Data on Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Cases

NACCHO calls for an increase in STI testing and treatment to further the nation’s goals of reducing these preventable infections. This is in response to new data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its annual surveillance report (2023 STI Surveillance Report), which showed encouraging signs of a slowing STI epidemic after years of alarming increases. To read more about NACCHO’s response, check out the press release here.

Request for Information: Point-of-Care/Rapid Syphilis/Dual HIV-Syphilis Testing and Treatment

Does your health department use point-of-care/rapid syphilis or dual HIV/syphilis tests in the field? Do you provide treatment in the field? Are you exploring offering field-based testing and treatment options soon? If you responded with “yes” to any of these questions, we need your help! Please complete this short form to answer a few questions about the testing and treatment services that are offered through your local health department.

Join NACCHO’s DIS Subcommittee!

Are you a disease intervention specialist (DIS) and interested in working with your national DIS colleagues? If so, join NACCHO’s DIS Subcommittee! This group falls under NACCHO’s Subject Matter Expert Workgroup- the HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis Workgroup (HSHW) and provides the opportunity to frame NACCHO’s DIS work. Through this subcommittee, NACCHO will elevate and advocate for the work of DIS through information and resource sharing, as well as peer engagement. This is an excellent opportunity for you to bring valuable perspectives and insight from a field that only your workforce knows best!

Starting January of 2025, subcommittee members will be required to attend 1-hr Zoom meetings every other month. Date/time of the meetings will be determined with input from members.

If you are interested, please complete this short interest form by Friday, November 29, 2024. Selected members will be notified in December so stay tuned for updates! If you have questions, please reach out to STI Senior Program Analyst, Daisha Washington.

Reducing Overdose Disparities for Equitable Outcomes (RODEO) funding

NACCHO, in partnership with the CDC, is offering the Reducing Overdose Disparities for Equitable Outcomes (RODEO) funding. This initiative supports organizations working with Black and Native American/Alaskan Native communities to expand or sustain overdose prevention and harm reduction efforts.

NACCHO will award up to $50,000 to seven organizations providing overdose education and naloxone distribution in states with high burden of overdose deaths among Black and/or Native American/Alaskan Native communities: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, District of Columbia, Missouri, Illinois, Alaska.

For a snapshot of the funding opportunity click here. Full details and application requirements, see the Request for Proposals (RFP). Questions? Email [email protected] with “RODEO RFP Question” in the subject line.

HIV, STI, Hepatitis & Harm Reduction Resources and News

HHS Releases STI Plan Progress Report 2021-2023

HHS released the 2021–2023 Progress Report for the Sexually Transmitted Infections National Strategic Plan for the United States: 2021–2025. The progress report provides a high-level overview of progress on select federal agency programs, policies, research, and other activities during fiscal years 2021–2023.

The progress report features an at-a-glance table of the status of seven core indicators and seven disparities indicators, which were identified in the national plan as a quantitative approach to measuring progress on STI prevention and care in the United States. The most recently available data reveal that seven of the indicators have met or are moving toward annual targets and that seven have not met or are moving away from annual targets.

Webinar: Advancing the Syndemic Model

Tuesday, November 19, 2024
12:00 to 1:00 p.m. PT

Syndemics occur when two or more diseases or health conditions cluster and interact within a population because of social and structural factors and inequities, leading to an excess burden of disease and continuing health disparities.

In this hour-long webinar, Kat Kelley, Lead Analyst – Syndemics at NACCHO, S. Garrison Carruth, Public Health Administrator III at CDPH, and Sylvia Dziemian also from CDPH, will define syndemic approaches and highlight various strategies used by local health departments (LHDs) to address the syndemic. The presenters will also discuss how LHDs can advance syndemic approaches to more effectively address the intersecting epidemics of HIV, STIs, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and overdose. By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to identify common barriers that affect this work and identify strategies local health departments can use to address HIV, STIs, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and overdose.

Register today to learn about the syndemic model and steps your organization can take to implement it.

HRSA HAB Policy Position opportunity

DPD serves as the Bureau’s principal source of RWHAP program data collection and analysis, development of policy guidance, advancement of implementation science, and analyses of data for reports for dissemination, coordination of program and clinical performance activities, and technical assistance and training internally and externally. The Supervisory Public Health Analyst – Policy Branch Chief serves as the Branch Chief and expert advisor and resource to HAB in developing and formulating policies and regulations that are sensitive to the special needs and concerns of safety net providers and beneficiaries.

The major duties and responsibilities include:

• Facilitating the development of the organization’s comprehensive programmatic and policy response to emerging public health issues relevant to the organization’s mission, including the establishment of new activities.
• Analyzing complex public health policies and programs that are sensitive to the special needs and concerns of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. recipients, providers, and clients to advise senior management on public health policies, operations, products, and services.
• Analyzing the potential impact of bills, laws, regulations, and programs on the agency and proposes changes necessary to respond to changed requirements or situations.
• Proposing public health programs and other changes necessary to respond to changes in policy.
• Cultivating and maintaining relationships with other organizational units including other federal agencies and quasi-governmental groups and other key partners including national and international organizations.

Area of Consideration: Gov’t-wide and Public

Duty Station: Rockville, MD

Open/Close Date: Thursday 10/31/2024 – Friday 11/15/2024

Announcement# and links:

Gov’t: HRSA-HAB-25-MP-12576210

Public: HRSA-HAB-25-DE-12576209

Quick Survey for Organizations Involved or Interested in Drug Checking

Are you an organization that is considering implementing or already implementing harm reduction drug checking services? If so, please fill out this survey to help NACCHO and our partners, Remedy Alliance and the University of North Carolina, understand the drug checking landscape across the US. This survey is specifically focused on point-of-care drug checking with advanced technologies. This refers to services where a drug sample is analyzed on site and/or at an offsite laboratory using advanced technologies such as FTIR or GCMS or LCMS, and the results are provided back to the owner of the drug sample. The anonymous survey will take between 7 – 10 minutes and this information will help us guide funders to streamline funding and to make financial resources more accessible for drug checking programs. This survey will be open until November 26, 2024. I am attaching a copy of the full survey if you would like to review it before submitting. For general questions about the survey or project feel free to email me at [email protected].

Access the survey here: https://bit.ly/NACCHODrugChecking