Quick Notes from the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership meeting

The Office of HIV Planning is a member of the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership (FAPP), a coalition of organizations from all over the country that advocate for people living with HIV and the organizations that serve them. You can learn more about FAPP and how to become a member organization here. Individuals living with HIV are also encouraged to join.  The group meets about four times a year, our last meeting was on February 12th. At that meeting we had some informative discussions with Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Dr. Laura Cheever, Associate Administrator for HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau.  We also discussed updates on implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the reauthorization fo the Ryan White Program.

Dr. Mermin's presentation is well worth your time to review (slides here). He shared information on HIV prevention funding, national progress on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), and how the CDC is addressing HIV prevention in terms of the care continuum.  A few things really stuck with me. When talking about new HIV cases, Dr. Mermin mentioned that although incidence has been stable over all, there have been increases in the number of new HIV cases for men who have sex with men and young men who have sex with men, 12% and 22%, respectively. The CDC and it's partners are focusing on High Impact Prevention, as the future of HIV prevention. The keys to High Impact Prevention are aligning HIV prevention resources to the geographical areas and populations most affected by HIV, using cost-effective and evidence-based methods, maximizing the number of people living with HIV/AIDS with a suppressed viral load, and using data monitoring, dissemination and feedback to improve outcomes for organizations and jurisdictions.The CDC is also working closely with HRSA to align as much of the HIV care and prevention activities as possible; including community planning, data reporting, and policies.


A major topic of discussion with Dr. Cheever was the future of the Ryan White program, in the era of health reform (ACA). Much of the conversation was informed by the discussion  at the Ryan White Working Group meeting (the day before). That discussion focused mostly on when and how to advocate for the reauthorization of the law, and what it might include. Consensus from that discussion was it would be best for the community to wait until 2015 to push for reauthorization because so much is still unknown about how Ryan White programs will work in the context of expanded health coverage and other reforms of the ACA. The community of Ryan White providers and consumers need to collect stories of the successes of the program from the local levels: who is served, how their lives are improved, and what benefits and outcomes do we see on an aggregate level. There was also consensus that the next version of the Ryan White law will be transformative, in other words, it will include a lot of changes to how the program works, what services are provided and who is eligible.

Dr. Cheever also recommended that we need to focus our efforts to help people start and stay in HIV care. The local communities need to provide qualitative data (stories) about how and why people get lost and also linked to care. These qualitative data can work with the quantitative data (surveillance, program data) to develop effective plans for our HIV care systems, including Ryan White. Local communities, like the Philadelphia EMA, should focus on those who need the most help accessing and maintaining care and provide the supports they need. Those supports might include housing, mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, child care, transportation or social support. The Ryan White program has the ability to meet these needs, but we have to direct resources to where they are most needed. We need to adapt the Ryan White system to work with the larger health care systems, not apart from them.

If I come away from these two meetings with any theme, it's "adapt or perish". We all need to become knowledgeable about the ACA and other changes in the science and policy world of HIV/AIDS. We have, as always, to do more with less. So we have to be informed, proactive, and deliberate.

Reducing Risk of HIV Infection for YMSM in Philly

YMSM stands for young men who have sex with men. According to CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) research, MSM account for the largest number of infections when compared to other risk groups and YMSM are particularly vulnerable. The following is a short list of strategies YMSM can use to reduce their risk of contracting HIV and find support in the Philly LGBT community. 

1.)    Get Tested!

You cannot tell by looking at a person whether they have HIV. To reduce your risk of acquiring HIV, you should know your status and that of your partner. The three things you should ask potential sex partners are: “Have you been tested for HIV? When was the last time you had an HIV test? What were the results of your HIV test?” In Philadelphia, many organizations provide HIV testing for free and accept walk-ins. They are anonymous and no appointment is necessary!

Here are a few organizations:

* The Mazzoni Center: Philly’s LGBT health and wellness center. They offer free HIV testing, as well as testing for other STI's. All testing is anonymous and confidential and takes place at their Washington West (1201 Locust St.) location. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00a.m.-9:00p.m. Phone: 215-563-0658

* ActionAIDS: ActionAIDS offers free and confidential HIV testing. Their 20-minute rapid test needs no appointment. Walk-in hours for the 1026 Arch St. location are Monday: 11:00a.m.-1:00p.m., Tuesday 10:00a.m.-12:00p.m., Wednesday 1:00p.m.-4:00p.m., Thursday 12:00a.m.-2:00p.m. and Friday by appointment only.

In addition, the CDC has a handy testing locator where you can search for testing sites by zip code!

Find a Testing Site Near You

2.)    Use Condoms!

According to the CDC, a latex condom used consistently and correctly is very effective at preventing HIV infection. The Office of HIV Planning provides free packages with condoms and lube! We are located at 340 N. 12^th Street in Philadelphia, PA. The STD Control Program also provides free condoms at over 100 sites in Philadelphia. The CDC created this handy online condom locator tool:

 Where to Get Free Condoms

3.)    Consider PrEP! 

PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) is an intervention where an HIV-negative person takes HIV meds (Truvada) in order to prevent HIV. Philadelphia is one of the first cities in the United States to implement PrEP programs and trials.  To learn more about PrEP, see the OHP blog:

The Science: PrEP

Philadelphia FIGHT is sponsoring the “I AM Men’s Health Project”, a free program for young gay and biseuxal men who are interested in learning about men’s health and reducing their risk of HIV infection. The weekly group discusses everything from risk reduction to leadership  skills. Each pariticpant will receive a week’s supply of TRUVADA® at each meeting, and remain under the close medical supervision of the Jonathan Lax Center. To find out more, check out the site:

Learn about PrEP

4.)    Be Careful on Social Media Sites! 

Social media sites such as Grindr, Downelink, Jack’d, Plenty of Fish and Ok Cupid can be a fun and easy way to meet with other people in the LGBT community for friendship, dating or casual relationships! However, it is important to be aware that the people on the sites may not be presenting themselves in an honest or accurate way.  If you are planning to meet someone you met through an online social media site or app, consider taking the following steps: limit the amount of personal information you share, tell a trusted person you plan to meet someone and arrange to meet somewhere public.

5.)    Find a support group and attend fun social events!  

Support groups can be a great way to find friends in the LGBT community! The Philadelphia Department of Human Services has created a list of young LGBT support groups:

LGBTQ Youth Resources in Philadelphia

One program that I really like is Q Spot, which is sponsored by the Educational Justice Coalition. The program provides fun social events, mental health services, HIV and STI testing as well as great snacks! The program occurs on the first and third Saturdays of each month from 8:00p.m.-1:00a.m. at 315 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. 

The Science: PrEP

Let's talk about Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). When an HIV- negative individual takes HIV meds (Truvada) in order to prevent HIV, we call it Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. This biomedical intervention can be used by people in serodiscordant relationships (one person is HIV-positive and the other is not), by men who have sex with men at high risk, and even serodiscordant couples who are trying to have a baby.

You probably have questions about PrEP, I know I do. I'm going to share some resources so we can all get good answers. PrEP is still a relatively new tool for HIV prevention and we are still learning how to make it work best for different types of people. There are still lots of questions. But we do know that when taken consistently and correctly PrEP greatly reduces a person's risk of HIV infection.

What's the science?

Research studies comparing PrEP methods have been done in Asia, Africa, North America (including the U.S.) and South America. There are some demonstration projects going on now to see how PrEP works in the real world for real people in the U.S. and other places. If you want a little more detail on the studies you can check out Project Inform's highlights here.

Men who have sex with men and transwomen

So far there has been one major study that tested the effectiveness of PrEP for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transwomen. The iPrEx study included almost 2500 MSM and transwomen in six countries. Participants were assigned to one of two groups: Truvada with comprehensive HIVcounseling, condoms, STI testing and treatment with HIV testing and a group with the same supports and treatment but who were given a placebo (sugar pill). This study was double-blinded, meaning neither the researchers or the participants knew who received the Truvada or the sugar pill. Results showed that adherence to the daily Truvada regimen was the single most important factor for effectiveness of PrEP. Those in the Truvada group who took the drug regularly enough to have measurable amounts of the drug in their blood were protected up to 92% over the placebo group. But those in the Truvada group who did not take the drug as regularly were only protected by 42%. Daily use (as measured in drug blood levels) protected up to 99%.

Heterosexual men and women

Two studies with heterosexual men and women in African countries showed similar results for those who had high adherence to the daily regimen on Truvada: up to 90% protection. These studies were with serodiscordant couples. More than 4500 hetereosexual adults participated in the Partners PrEP study and 1200 in the TDF2 study.

Studies that tested PrEP effectiveness in women were not as successful as those on serodiscordant heterosexual couples. The Fem-PrEP study with 2100 African women was stopped early because there was no difference in protection between the Truvada group and the placebo group. Later follow-up showed that the drug blood levels in most of the women did not indicate use of the drug as directed. Adherence was actually very low, despite women reporting taking the medicine as directed. Another study of women, VOICE,  had similar issues of adherence. 

There are several possible reasons for the women agreeing to be in the study and reporting adherence to the drugs, even while not complying with the regimen, including: free access to health care, access to Truvada for HIV-positive relatives, financial compensation and other benefits of study participation. We also know that research participants may report behavior they think is the desired answer in order to avoid embarrassment, make the researchers feel good, forgetfulness, or reasons other than dishonesty. This is why whenever possible, researchers use biological markers, like drug levels in blood, to determine the real adherence levels in a drug trial.

Intravenous drug users

One study has been completed testing PrEP effectiveness for intravenous drug users (IDU) in Bangkok, Thailand. These results are complicated because the IDU participants may also have been having unprotected high risk sex while in the trial, so it is hard to isolate if Truvada works for IDU HIV exposure. In this study, 2400 self-identified IDU were assigned either to Truvada or a placebo, with access to support like risk counseling, condoms, HIV testing, etc. Overall there was a 49% reduction in HIV infection in the Truvada group, with 74% reduction in the group that had directly-observed treatment (they took the Truvada in front of a researcher on a daily basis). 

Other resources

So that's some of the PrEP science. There's a lot more coming out all the time, including data on risk behaviors, adherence, effectiveness in real life, etc. Stay tuned for more on PrEP but for now here are a few resources to learn more.

My PrEP Experience - firsthand accounts of people who are on PrEP

Project Inform's PrEP videos - videos on making the decision to be on PrEP, PrEP in serodiscordant relationships and more.

My Life on PrEP - series from Frontiers L.A.

C.D.C.'s Q & A on PrEP clinical research

Notes from the Health Reform and Advocacy Workshop

On October 16, 2013 I spent the day with 20 community leaders, learning about health reform and advocacy. We had an extra special guest, Joe Scarborough from the DE HIV Consortium, who shared some of his inside tips on advocacy. Below I'll share some of my visuals and notes from our discussion on the Myths of Health Reform. You can see all the visuals here.

Health Reform Myths - Busted

People are so confused by what they hear from friends, family, politicians and even the news. They have no idea what is fact or fiction. This list will help bust some of the most popular myths about the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare.

Myth #1: Obamacare takes away freedoms.
Truth: Nobody is forced to buy insurance or do anything else. 
There is a requirement to have health insurance, but there are also several exemptions to this rule including financial hardship, religious objections, and not being required to file a federal tax return. If people choose not to sign up for insurance, they may face a penalty. You can learn more about the penalty here.

Myth # 2: It's a government takeover of health care.
Truth: Obamacare helps people afford private insurance purchased through online marketplaces from insurance companies.
 It is not "single payer" federal health insurance like our friends to the North in Canada have. And let's be frank, we already have "socialized medicine", we call it Medicare. 

Myth #3: Obamacare only helps "those people".
Truth: Everyone benefits from a more fair, affordable health care system. 
Most people will experience lower premiums (over time). Insurance companies will not be allowed to discriminate based on gender, age, or health status. No lifetime or annual coverage caps. Wealthy people (making over $200,000/year) will pay more in taxes.

Myth #4: Obamacare rations health care.
Truth: We already have rationed health care, the insurance companies do the rationing in terms of coverage limits, revoking coverage and preapproval policies.
The Affordable Care Act puts an end to discrimination, denials, and protects consumers by limiting out of pocket spending and deductibles. The law also requires all plans to have 10 essential health benefits which include hospitalization, prescription drugs, labs and tests, mental health  and substance abuse treatment, maternity care, and others.

Myth #5: Obamacare is bad for seniors.
Truth: Seniors have a number of protections, including limits on how much more than can be charged for insurance premiums. 
NO DEATH PANELS. The part of the law that some people referred to as "death panels" was actually a provision that would allow Medicare to pay for end of life counseling for seniors and their families. The counseling would have been provided by the patient's doctor, not some government panel. But due to all the controversy that provision was removed from the final law. 
There will be a reduction in the federal subsidy sent to insurance companies who provide the Medicare Advantage plans for seniors. This subsidy reduction may result in changes in benefits, but will not effect essential services. The federal government made this change to reduce spending in Medicare Advantage, which is more than the spending for traditional Medicare and Medicaid combined.

Myth #6: Obamacare means more taxes and higher premiums for everybody.
Truth: Most uninsured people will save money.
Some people, those who make over $200,000 will have to pay a bit more in taxes. Many people will see reductions in their premiums, thanks to getting a tax break to pay for insurance through the health insurance marketplaces. Women will no longer pay higher premiums than men, neither will sick people. Since most people get their insurance through their jobs (about half of Americans), they won't see much changes, except for the regular fluctuations in premiums from year to year. Here's some more info about the tax changes in the ACA.

Myth #7: Congress is exempt from Obamacare.
Truth: Congress has to buy insurance through the insurance marketplaces too. They don't get some secret fancy plans.

The morale of this story: check your facts. Good places to check are Factcheck.org and Politifact.com. And of course, this little old blog right here. 

And there's always our friends the Youtoons.

Q and A from the front lines: What case managers want to know about health reform

Sometimes I get to go out into the world and learn from our amazing HIV community. On September 24th I got a chance to talk with about 30 case managers, social workers and other front line workers from a variety of HIV providers, health centers, and community organizations. It was a lively discussion about how health reform will help people living with HIV (PLWHA). We also covered some basics in communication; how to talk about health reform so people will understand and feel empowered to enroll in new coverage. You can read some about the communication tips here. I'm just going to cover the big topics and provide some links to my go-to health reform resources. You can also read my past posts about health reform here for more background and HIV-specific information.

Basic protections of the law

We started off reviewing the basic protections of the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare or Health Reform) and how they help PLWHA.
1. Insurance companies can't discriminate based on health status. Nobody can be denied coverage or lose coverage because of a new or pre-existing condition or diagnosis. This means no longer can PLWHA be denied coverage because of their HIV status or any other health conditions. This is big!

2. Insurance companies cannot charge women more for insurance. No more discrimination based on biological sex, everybody pays the same.

3. Essential Health Benefits (EHB) include many services either previously not guaranteed under private insurance or not offered by the Ryan White program. These will help fill in gaps of coverage for many PLWHA. You can find out more about EHB here.

4. No more lifetime caps on spending. Whether you cost the insurance company $100 or $10 million, they can't deny you coverage. Pretty awesome for people with complex and chronic health conditions.

Ryan White and health reform

Many people are wondering what health reform means for the Ryan White program. I can't see the future, but what we do know is this: The Ryan White program will continue as is for now. The long term changes and adjustments remain to be seen, and will depend on how PLWHA in different states fair in gaining health coverage, as well as what gaps and barriers remain that prevent PLWHA from access all the care they need to stay healthy. 

This brief is a good resource explaining how the Ryan White Program will interact and be influenced by health reform. I also wrote a blog post about the future of Ryan White earlier this year, so check that out for some more about Reauthorization.

Medicaid and ACA

Half of the PLWHA who receive Ryan White services (in the Philadelphia region) are covered by Medicaid. So for the most part, health reform doesn't really change anything for those individuals. They continue to be covered by Medicaid for many services, and Ryan White services can offer "coverage completion" to fill in any gaps to care. Just like always. 

Now this is where it gets tricky, the health reform law also allows states to expand Medicaid coverage to include low income adults below 133% of the Federal Poverty Line (about $15,000 for a single person). But states can choose not to expand coverage to those adults. Only half the states have decided to open up their Medicaid programs to low income adults. New Jersey has, and you can read more about it here. As of this writing, Pennsylvania has not. PA's Governor Corbett has offered a proposal for some serious Medicaid reforms (which we will dive into in another post), which he calls Healthy Pennsylvania. You can read the concept paper here. He has included expanding Medicaid eligibility to low income adults. We have at least several months to see what happens with Medicaid in PA. 

ADAP and health reform

NASTAD estimates that about 60% of PA's ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program) clients will transition to a Marketplace plan for health care and prescription coverage. Many ADAP clients will transition from uninsured or under-insured to a Marketplace plan with the help of federal tax breaks to pay for insurance premiums. You can learn more about premiums and tax credits here. Those ADAP clients who do not qualify for enrollment in a Marketplace plan will stay on ADAP and continue to access Ryan White services, as appropriate.  People will not be covered by SPBP (ADAP in Pennsylvania) and a Marketplace plan, one or the other.

Helping clients understand options and enroll

Many case managers and social workers are concerned about their ability to assist clients in the health reform enrollment process. The process seems complicated and there is a lot to know. No doubt we will have some bumps on the road to coverage for all, but we can do it by working together. There are a few ways to offer assistance to individuals and families.

One easy option is to partner with a Navigator agency in PA or NJ. More information about those organizations here.

Your organization can apply to become a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) organization and offer help with the enrollment process to your clients. CMS offers an online training course for CACs, however there is no funding attached to these CACs.

Your organization can also become a Champion of Coverage to help share the news about coverage options. This one is easy, provide brochures and posters in your office, post some links on your website, or tell your clients about enrollment support in your community.

All Ryan White service providers are expected to help with outreach and enrollment for the Marketplaces. This is the top priority of the entire Department of Health and Human Services. 

Resources

Here are some of the best sources on health reform I have found. 

Healthcare.gov - the official place to get all your health reform information, find out about your state's Marketplace, enroll in coverage, print brochures, get live online help, and so much more.

HIVhealthreform - webinars, tools, blog posts, issue briefs - you'll find almost everything you need to know about health reform and HIV at this wonderful website. You should definitely sign up for their newsletter.

Kaiser Family Foundation - newly-updated subsidy calculator, interactive health reform timeline, state Marketplace profiles, and lots more.

Notes from the 2013 Pennsylvania Health Access Network Conference

I am grateful to the folks at PHAN for pulling together an informative conference for PA advocates, providers, and public health wonks like me. We mostly talked about health reform and the Affordable Care Act, with enrollment starting on October 1. Here are some of my notes and impressions. I would love to hear from others who attended.

The conference theme of Cover the Commonwealth informed the whole day's programming. We talked and talked about health reform in PA, including Gov. Corbett's proposal to reform (and expand) Medicaid, Healthy Pennsylvania. We also discussed how to talk to people about health reform and new coverage options. I wrote a separate post about communication tips. You can see all the tweets from the conference at #PHAN13

$467M in #pabudget savings in 2014 if PA does #MedicaidExpansion right away, according to PA #IFO: http://t.co/EEaJyGUo8r. #PHAN13 #pagovt
— PA Health Access (@pahealthaccess) September 23, 2013

Navigators and Certified Application Counselors

Every type of community organization and health care provider is encouraged to have Certified Application Counselors on staff to help individuals and families enroll in the Marketplace. You can find out how to become a Certified Application Counselor organization here. Keep in mind that there will be a delay between application and approval from CMS, I have heard 30-60 days. 

Three of the federally-funded Navigator organizations were on hand to talk about their plans to help enroll every eligible Pennsylvanian. They have some big goals and are going to need help to reach them. These organizations want to work with your CBO or community group, so contact them to set up a time for their navigators to come and help enroll your clients/members.

Resources for Human Development is focusing on the 10 PA counties with the most uninsured people. Philadelphia County has the most uninsured of any county (and the most people). 

Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) will support all the Navigators and Certified Application Counselors in the state. 

Mental Health Association of Pennsylvania will also have Navigators in the community throughout the state ready to help enroll people in the Marketplace. 

Medicaid

Ann Torregrosa: We really need to give governor our input on 'Healthy PA' Medicaid proposal. Send comments to RA-PWHealthyPA@pa.gov #PHAN13
— PA Budget and Policy (@PBPC) September 23, 2013

In mid-September, Governor announced his Medicaid reform plan, Healthy Pennsylvania. All we know about the reforms are contained in the concept paper, about 10 pages. So the details are unknown. Included in these reforms would be coverage for low income adults, regardless of health or disability status, essentially it is Medicaid expansion by another name. I can share with you my initial impressions and some of what I learned at the conference. Please remember that this is just a proposed plan, not a reality. The Governor must submit a Medicaid waiver application to the federal government for approval, which will take at least several months. At this point in time, Medicaid is going to work as it has, nothing new for the short term.

Proposed Medicaid reforms include requiring working-age, non-disabled recipients to actively looking for employment and/or enroll in a job training program. This kind of requirement is not allowed under current Medicaid law and is a big task to oversee and administer. Some people are thinking this could be a roadblock to federal approval.

Gov. Corbett would like to remove all co-pays associated with Medicaid coverage and start requiring a monthly premium (bill) based on income, no more than $25/month for an individual or $35 for a household. Many people would pay no premium or very little. 

With these reforms, Gov Corbett argues the state would be able to include more people in Medicaid, including low income adults. These newly-eligible recipients would be enrolled in the insurance Marketplace and given state/federal subsidies to pay for insurance just like other Pennsylvanians buying insurance through the state marketplace. These individuals/families would also be required to pay a monthly premium based on income. The will also have a choice to select a Marketplace plan or the Health Choices plans. 

Other items in the concept paper include a penalty of $10 for "inappropriate use" of the Emergency Room, reduction in the number of benefit packages offered to different categories of Medicaid enrollees from 14 to 2, and no changes to children's benefits under Medicaid/CHIP.

http://t.co/VtDfTvwjpN is a good resource for Pennsylvanians to learn more about coverage options #PHAN13
— Nicole Johns (@PublichealthNDJ) September 23, 2013

I encourage you to sign up for the PHAN newsletter to keep up to date on all the training and events they offer. They will be a great resource for health reform in PA. A member of PHAN will come to your organization to educate your clients or staff. You can also participate in webinars and conference calls.

Big Picture - September 2013

This post is part of a monthly series. It provides an overview of themes and topics from the general meetings and committee meetings of the Ryan White Planning Council and HIV Prevention Planning Group. To view meeting materials and presentations, please visit www.hivphilly.org or check out our SlideShare account.

Ryan White Planning Council (RWPC)

First off, the RWPC's Needs Assessment Committee has new leadership!  Tre Alexander is a first-time co-chair for the committee, and Gerry Keys has returned as a co-chair once again.  During their meeting, the group continued its previous discussions on the current processes used to link newly-diagnosed people living with HIV/AIDS to medical care.  They developed a list of questions for AACO on these processes. 

Meanwhile, the Positive Committee opened nominations for one of its co-chair positions in September.  An election will take place at the October meeting, which will be held on Monday, October 7.  (Both October and November's Positive Committee meetings have been moved to the first Mondays in those months, due to city holidays.)  They also continued talking about their World AIDS Day project recognizing the efforts of local heroes.

The Ryan White Planning Council also opened nominations for one of its co-chair seats this month.  Rich Lampkins' current term as co-chair is coming to an end, and we'll be taking nominations for his position until the October RWPC meeting.  Any nominee has to be a current RWPC member who has been in good standing for at least a year.  The nominee also has to accept the nomination.  You can email me at briana@hivphilly.org if you'd like to throw someone's hat in the ring.  They also approved a 10% increase budget to include with the grant application to the federal government.  We don't expect to actually receive a 10% increase, but it doesn't hurt to ask.  Plus, I gave a short presentation on Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act.

Thanks to the efforts of the RWPC Nominations Committee, the Ryan White Planning Council will welcome several new members in October.  They approved sixteen applications in total, eleven of which were current members that were reapplying for membership.  The new members will go through orientation on October 10, and we're looking forward to having them!

HIV Prevention Planning Group (HPG)

The new HIV Prevention Planning Group (HPG) is still getting their feet wet with community planning until they have their locally-adapted HIV Planning Boot Camp that will be provided by the National Minority AIDS Council next month.  Their September meeting started off with a basic presentation on us, the Office of HIV Planning.  They also watched a CDC Grand Rounds webcast on high-impact prevention, which is part of a series of webcasts the CDC has been doing on public health.  This provided the new HPG members with necessary background information that will help them in months to come.

Points of Integration Workgroup

The Points of Integration Workgroup kept on with its discussion of linkage to care tools for Philadelphia.  They talked about current risk assessments used by HIV testers, and how they might include questions to assess a newly-diagnosed client's readiness to enter HIV care into the whole testing process.  They also had a discussion on partner services, including their place in linkage to care.  They'll finalize the readiness for care tool and determine their next steps during their October meeting.


It's always a great time to get involved in community planning for the Philadelphia area. To learn more, follow the links in this post, attend one of the meetings listed on our calendar, or email info@hivphilly.org to find out how to get involved. If you have questions, you can also call us at 215-574-6760.