HIV Prevention Community Planning

Too many publicly funded HIV prevention initiatives launched by departments of health failed to reach many of the populations that are especially at risk for HIV infection. Therefore, in December 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established guidelines for HIV prevention community planning. The guidelines intend to bring community representatives and departments of health together to identify the most at-risk populations, assess the significance of the HIV prevention initiative to the community, and achieve overall improvements in programming.

HIV Prevention Community Planning is not just recommended -- it is required of health departments that want to receive federal HIV prevention funds.

Steps in Community Planning

Step 1: Nominate a committee that reflects the diversity of the epidemic in your community. The nominees should include representatives from various groups (including African Americans, Latinos, young people and men who have sex with men), experts in the field of epidemiology, health planning or social/behavioral science, representatives from the boards of education and health, and/or people who have held significant positions in the planning and implementation of an HIV prevention effort or in an HIV/AIDS treatment program.

Step 2: Assess the HIV prevention needs of your community based on the epidemiological profile of the epidemic.

The Community Planning Group should assess:

• the extent to which the HIV/AIDS epidemic has and is expected to affect the community;

• who is especially affected by HIV in the community;

• which behavioral characteristics are similar among those affected by HIV;

• the racial/ethnic similarities, if any, of the people in a community that are disproportionately infected with and affected by HIV.

Step 3: Establish priority HIV prevention strategies for targeted populations based on need, outcome effectiveness, cost effectiveness, sound scientific theory, your community's values and norms, and availability of resources.

Step 4: Develop a comprehensive HIV prevention plan consistent with established needs.

Step 5: Evaluate the effectiveness of the planning process.

For more information on HIV Prevention Community Planning, please contact your health department's AIDS program or the CDC National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS (English), 1-800-344-SIDA (Spanish) or 1-800-243-7889 (TTY).

The Ryan White Care Act

The Ryan White CARE Act -- Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency -- is the largest source of federal funding specifically available to provide support and primary care services to people living with HIV.

The CARE Act is named after Ryan White, a teenager from Indiana who actively promoted HIV/AIDS awareness and education until his death of an AIDS-related illness in 1990. The Ryan White CARE Act was passed on August 18, 1990, and revised in May 1996.

The HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers HIV/AIDS programs under the CARE Act, which are geared to benefit low-income, uninsured/underinsured individuals and families affected by HIV.

Care Act Components

• Title I provides HIV emergency relief grants for eligible metropolitan areas.

• Title II provides states and territories with grants to provide quality health care services to people living with HIV/AIDS. Title II also funds the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), which provide medications to low-income and under- and uninsured individuals with HIV.

• Title III supports outpatient HIV early intervention services for low-income, medically underserved people in existing primary care systems. Medical, educational and psychosocial services are designed to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS, delay the onset of illness, facilitate access to services and provide psychosocial support to people with HIV/AIDS.

• Title IV provides funding for programs that provide comprehensive, community-based, family-centered services for women, young people, children and families. These programs have especially helped poor, minority families with limited access to transportation and housing.

• Part F provides funds for:

• Special Projects of National Significance Program, which supports the development of innovative models of HIV/AIDS care that address issues unique to someone living with HIV.

• HIV/AIDS Dental Reimbursement Program, which assists accredited dental schools and post-doctoral programs in providing oral health care to individuals living with HIV.

• AIDS Education and Training Centers, which conduct multi-disciplinary education and training programs for health care providers.

For more information on the Ryan White CARE Act, please contact HRSA at (301) 443-6652, or visit the HIV/AIDS Bureau on the Internet at www.hrsa.dhhs.gov.