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Tilting the Scale: Current Provider Perspectives and Practices on Breastfeeding with HIV in the United States

A new paper worked on by Pacific AETC’s own Co-Principal Investigator,  Monica Hahn, MPH, MS, MD, on breast/chestfeeding for birthing people living with HIV is now available! Published on February 13th, 2023.

Access the paper now

Abstract

HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau Update: Special Bulletin

Dear Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Colleagues:

Today, HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) recognizes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). This day is an opportunity to increase awareness about HIV care, treatment, and support services for Black/African American people in the United States.

Black people continue to face social and structural barriers, including racism, discrimination, homophobia, HIV stigma, medical mistrust, and limited access to high-quality health care, which prevent them from seeking care and treatment. I am proud that HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) is working to address these barriers and encourage the development of safe and supportive health services for people with HIV.

HRSA is also dedicated to recruiting and retaining a diversified workforce, especially one that is inclusive of people with lived experience in the fields they serve. As part of our NBHAAD activities, we are hosting a special webinar (available in both English and Spanish) on Wednesday, February 8, from 3:00-4:00 PM ET to provide guidance on how to apply for federal job opportunities. We hope you can join us for this event.

Maintaining a diverse workforce and continuing our strong relationships with RWHAP providers, communities, and partners has been key to the success of the RWHAP, especially for improving outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities.

Nearly half of the more than 576,000 RWHAP clients we serve are Black/African American. In 2021, a record-breaking 87.2% of our Black/African American RWHAP clients receiving medical care were virally suppressed, which means we continue to close the disparity gap from 63.3% virally suppressed in 2010.

While we are pleased with our progress, we know there is still more we can do. Several of our RWHAP Part F Special Projects of National Significance initiatives are focusing on developing and disseminating tools and strategies to help improve outcomes for Black people with HIV. These include the Black Women First Initiative and E2i initiatives for Black MSM. Our RWHAP Best Practices Compilation also highlights other strategies that help improve HIV care.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge all those working to support Black people with HIV, including peer navigators, social workers, case managers, nurses, physicians, and many more who are helping to make a difference for those you serve.

Thank you for your ongoing efforts and dedication to stopping HIV stigma and providing equitable access to HIV care and treatment to more than half a million people with HIV across the country.

Sincerely,

Laura W. Cheever

Laura Cheever, MD, ScM

Associate Administrator

Black Women and PrEP Toolkit

Ending the HIV epidemic in Black communities will take multi-faceted, innovative, and intentional approaches. Launched in time for the 2018 National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 10), the Black Women and PrEP Toolkit is a product of those conversations—created for Black women by Black women.

This initiative was launched, in part, with Gilead Sciences.

This toolkit contains:

1. Branded posters that can be co-branded for your organization
2. Brochures and presentations for community education
3. Resources created by other organizations doing great work around PrEP for Black women.
4. Information about how the Black AIDS Institute can provide your organization or health department training and capacity building services to increase PrEP awareness and utilization

Access the Toolkit, Brochures, and More Resources

Take a deeper look with AIDSVu Infographics:

More on #NBHAAD from AIDSVu

Check out the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day webpages from CDC and HIV.gov for more information and resources.

HIV/AIDS-Related Research and African Americans

NIH Strategic Plan for HIV and HIV-Related Research (FY 2021-2025), from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of AIDS Research (OAR). The Plan describes NIH research priorities to prevent, treat, and eventually cure HIV/AIDS. An overarching focus of NIH HIV research is to better understand health disparities, including disparities that may be linked to race and ethnicity.

Research Related to HIV/AIDS and African Americans:

• Research within the past year, from PubMed.gov
• Research from the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)

Additional Information and Resources

Why Black AIDS History Matters

Literature review: Older African Americans and the HIV Care Continuum

Dimensions of HIV prevention and treatment for Black women

We the people report by Black AIDS Institute

From the CDC:

• The CDC’s “Dear Colleague: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) 2023.”
• HIV and African Americans
• HIV and African American Gay and Bisexual Men

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health:

• HIV/AIDS and African Americans

From the Office of AIDS Research:

• HIV/AIDS – Specific Populations: African Americans

Register Now for Medi-Cal Managed Care Changes: What Advocates Need to Know

Date and Time

Jan 26, 2023 10:00 AM

Description

This webinar will discuss changes to Medi-Cal managed care delivery this year, and those coming next year and beyond. It will inform advocates of what to expect in their counties, and how to assist people who newly enroll in managed care or who must change plans.

NHeLP is a State Bar of California-approved MCLE provider. This event has been approved for 1 hour of California MCLE credit. (Attorneys licensed in other states, please check with your state bar.)

This webinar will be recorded. The recording and slides will be sent to all registrants approximately 48 hours after the conclusion of the webinar. The slides will also be sent to all registrants 24 hours prior to the webinar.

Register Here

Please contact the Operations Team (webinars@healthlaw.org) if you have any accommodation requests for the webinar.

STI Expert Hour Webinar

Medication Conundrums in STI Management

Thursday, February 16, 2023

12:00PM – 1:15PM (PST)

Register Today!

1.25 CME units at no cost (details below)

Learning Objectives

• Describe basic principles of antibiotic pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and their relevance to drug dosing and administration
• Develop a plan for common STI medication issues including dosing/administration, side effect management, and allergy management
• Identify drug information resources related to STI/HIV management, reproductive health, breastfeeding, and drug-drug interactions

Meet Our Expert: Katherine Yang, PharmD, MPH

Dr. Yang is a Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and the Co-Vice Dean of Clinical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy. She is also an Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacist in the UCSF Medical Center. Dr. Yang specializes in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic optimization of the treatment of multi-drug resistant infections, particularly gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For the past 3 years, Dr. Yang has focused her efforts on the clinical management of COVID-19.

CME Information

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and the California Prevention Training Center. The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education to physicians. The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Nurses may receive continuing nursing education credit for this educational activity as the ANCC accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credits through its reciprocity agreement. The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s).

To request an accommodation for this event, please contact Catalina Macdonald at catalina.macdonald@ucsf.edu at least a week in advance of the event.

Event Contact

Elizabeth Olson, MPH

Clinical Program Manager

elizabeth.olson@ucsf.edu

Visit the CAPTC Website

SPNS Supporting Replication (SURE) of Housing Interventions Request For Proposal (RFP)

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is now available to Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) service providers for a Special Project of National Significance (SPNS) program titled Supporting Replication (SURE) of Housing Interventions. It includes funding for up to 10 implementation sites that will implement and adapt housing-related intervention strategies for three priority populations of people with HIV experiencing unstable housing.

The purpose of the SURE Housing initiative is to implement and adapt housing-related intervention strategies for three priority populations of people with HIV experiencing unstable housing, who often have the highest HIV-related disparities:

1) people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ+);
2) youth and young adults (aged 18-24); and
3) people who have been justice-involved (defined as any person who is engaged at any point along the continuum of the criminal justice system as a defendant including arrest, incarceration, and community supervision).

The goal of this initiative is to promote the replication of effective housing interventions in the RWHAP to decrease health and housing disparities and improve health outcomes along the HIV care continuum.  This initiative will engage and retain people with HIV experiencing unstable housing in HIV medical care and support services by addressing their housing and behavioral health needs, as needed.

Serving as the Implementation and Technical Assistance Provider, the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), in partnership with Collaborative Solutions, Inc (CSI), will select, issue, and monitor sub-awards of up to $250,000 per funding year for up to ten implementation sites. Sites will be funded from May 1, 2023 – July 31, 2026. CSH and CSI will provide the sites with technical assistance (TA) for implementing and adapting these interventions.

The implementation sites will also participate in a multi-site evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the interventions’ implementation and adaptation. The implementation of housing-related interventions at each site will be evaluated by the Evaluation Provider comprised of Boston University, the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc.

Additional information can be found in the Request for Proposals.

Application Details

Current RWHAP service providers are eligible to apply. Applications are due no later than 11:59pm ET on February 15, 2023. To learn more about this opportunity, register here for a live webinar taking place on January 10, 2023 at 3PM Eastern.

For more information, contact HRSA.TA@CSH.ORG.