Illinois Commences Development of Statewide HIV/AIDS Plan

David Munar AIDS Foundation of Chicago.

In a recent article, my colleague at AIDS Foundation Chicago, Keith R. Green, profiled efforts underway in Illinois to develop a statewide operational plan aligned with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Keith frankly observes that "coordinated efforts at the national level will only produce small results without similar coordination within local jurisdictions."

I thought it was particularly timely to share his article given that on Tuesday I participated in a meeting that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) convened to discuss the development of state HIV/AIDS plans. Joining me at this meeting were representatives from the community, the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors(NASTAD) and the Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services (UCHAPS), several state AIDS directors, local health department representatives, and others. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy is, afterall, a national and not merely a federal strategy. So the strategy counts on contributions to this national effort from all sectors, including state and local governments. In recommending that the States develop individual HIV/AIDS plans, the Strategy suggests:

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The purpose of State plans would be to enhance coordination between planning and resource allocation activities, which are often siloed in a way that separates prevention and care…In developing their plans, States will also be encouraged to identify all Federal, State, and local resources, and to the extent feasible, private and nonprofit resources to ensure that all HIV/AIDS resources are allocated in the most efficient manner to address the full range of prevention, care, and social service needs.

AIDS.gov talked with James Albino, the Senior Program Manager in the White House Office of National AIDS Policy about this post and he told us that "... shortly after the launch of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy I began visiting communities from LA to Dover, DE to encourage them to look at ways to implement the Strategy at the local level. I am pleased that Illinois is in the forefront of this important effort and hopeful that their efforts might serve to inform and inspire other States to pursue similar plans."

David Ernesto Munar is the president and CEO of AIDS Foundation of Chicago.