AIDS.gov Shares Community News: Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy to Hold Upcoming Webinars

By David Munar, Vice President for Policy, AIDS Foundation of Chicago

David Munar, AIDS Foundation of Chicago

The Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy will host two upcoming, identical webinars to assist community advocates in learning more about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) unveiled by President Obama on July 13, 2010.

Presenters will highlight key themes of the Strategy, current implementation efforts, and community advocacy needed around the Strategy.

Identical webinar sessions will be held on:

• Thursday, September 2, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EST, with moderator Rebecca Haag of AIDS Action
• Tuesday, September 7, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. EST, with moderator Naina Khanna of Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Disease (WORLD) and the Positive Women’s Network (PWN)

Both webinars will feature the same agenda and panel of expert presenters:

Strategy Update: Regional Health Administrators and Ryan White Grantee Meeting

By Dr. Ron Valdiserri, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Listening Session at Ryan White Grantee Meeting

Earlier this week, I was able to join in on the weekly Regional Health Administrator’s call and provide an update on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). Many of the Regional Health Administrators and the Regional AIDS Coordinators  are already very familiar with the NHAS and the specific steps called for in the Implementation Plan. They were enthusiastic when I shared that Dr.Howard Koh, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, is very interested in working with HHS Regional Offices to assist in the implementation of the NHAS. Several participants on the call provided examples of other important public health issues, like emergency preparedness and influenza prevention, where  Regional Health Offices have played a critical role in helping to coordinate local and state-level activities. As I mentioned in last week's post, the HHS NHAS Implementation Group met for the first time last week and as our planning progresses, we will have a better sense of how Regional Offices can contribute to the implementation of the Strategy.

Later in the week a number of my colleagues joined me for a “listening session” about the NHAS at the  2010 Ryan White Grantee Meeting in Washington, D.C.  More than 2,500 Ryan White grantee representatives attended this biannual meeting, including direct care providers, program/fiscal administrators, members of planning councils or board members, consumers, and Federal staff. During the conference the HHS Office of HIV/AIDS Policy hosted a session to take comments and questions about the NHAS, Implementation Plan, and HHS Operational Plan. After Christopher Bates, Executive Director of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, provided an overview of the NHAS, we opened the floor to comments and questions  It was an excellent opportunity for us to hear directly from the HIV community from across the country about their successes, challenges, and concerns with the NHAS. Participants were very positive about the NHAS and the importance of achieving its goals but noted that we must invest in training staff and developing high-quality systems of prevention and care in order to meet the targets.

We look forward to continuing this dialogue about the NHAS at the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) next month in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Howard Koh, Mr. Jeff Crowley and I will be joined by David Munar from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago , Phill Wilson from the Black AIDS Institute , and other community leaders at the closing session, "The National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Taking Steps to Make it Real at the Community Level." If you will be attending USCA, we encourage you to come to the session where you will not only hear from us, but where we look forward to hearing from YOU.

If you are not planning to go to USCA, please use this blog, as well as other online and in-person opportunities to share your thoughts and insights about how we can continue to work together to implement the Strategy.

The Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy talks about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the future

by Miguel Gomez, AIDS.gov Director

Last month I spoke with Chris Collins, Vice President of Public Policy at American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and David Munar, Vice President of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago about their efforts with the Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy . The Coalition was founded in September 2007 and is comprised of over 500 organizations and 2,400 individuals.

Chris and David talked about the importance of community involvement during the development of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and it's implementation. The following video highlights that discussion.

Continuing Our Commitment to Prioritizing HIV/AIDS

By Jeffrey S. Crowley, M.P.H., Director, Office of National AIDS Policy (Cross-posted from the Office of National AIDS Policy Blog)

Today, the Obama Administration is taking new action to prioritize support for Federal HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs.  We are sending to the Congress an amendment to the President’s FY 2011 budget request to increase HIV/AIDS funding by $65 million.  This is comprised of a requested $35 million increase for HIV prevention in order to continue exciting new HIV prevention activities described below to support the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and a $30 million increase for State AIDS drug assistance programs to respond to the ongoing crisis States are facing in operating these essential programs.  These resources come on top of proposed increases for HIV prevention and care at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that were included in the original budget submission.  Ultimately, the Congress will enact a budget that will establish Federal funding levels for the fiscal year that begins on October 1st.

Last month, the Obama Administration released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.  This was the product of a robust dialogue with the HIV community and other members of the public and identifies a small set of priority action steps for moving the Nation forward in responding to the domestic HIV epidemic.  On the evening of July 13th, the President hosted a reception for the HIV community at the White House where he spoke about the Strategy and his commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS.  He said the following,

Now, I know that this strategy comes at a difficult time for Americans living with HIV/AIDS, because we’ve got cash-strapped States who are being forced to cut back on essentials, including assistance for AIDS drugs.  I know the need is great.  And that’s why we’ve increased Federal assistance each year that I’ve been in office, providing an emergency supplement this year to help people get the drugs they need, even as we pursue a national strategy that focuses on three central goals.

HHS Plans National HIV/AIDS Strategy Implementation

By Dr. Ron Valdiserri, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

HHS National HIV/AIDS Strategy Implementation Group meeting

Yesterday the Department of Health and Human Services convened the first meeting of its HHS National HIV/AIDS Strategy Implementation Group. Comprised of representatives of 10 operational divisions and more than 13 staff offices from across HHS, the Implementation Group is tasked with preparing the agency’s operational plan for implementing the Strategy. Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard Koh and I are coordinating the agency-wide planning efforts.

In response to the Presidential memo that accompanied the release of the Strategy, the HHS operational plan will assign responsibilities to agency officials, designate reporting structures for actions identified in the Federal Implementation Plan, and identify other appropriate actions to advance the Strategy. The plan will also include steps to strengthen coordination in planning, budgeting for, and evaluating domestic HIV/AIDS programs within and across agencies.