181883 HIV/AIDS Capacity Building Assistance Efforts in Katrina-affected Regions

Monday, October 27, 2008

Kim M. Johnson, MD , Technical Assistance, Treatment, and Training, National Minority AIDS Council, Washington, DC
Tamara Combs , Technical Assistance, Training, and Treatment, National Minority AIDS Council, Washington, DC
Candy Magana , Technical Assistance, Training, and Treatment, National Minority AIDS Council, Washington, DC
The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) recognizes the need for continued effort to empower AIDS service organizations (ASOs) in the Katrina-affected region. Following regional site visits and discussion, ASOs expressed the need for organizational capacity building assistance (CBA).

NMAC has committed efforts to supply CBA to ASOs in the area via state trainings. The initiative builds on a state training based in New Orleans, Louisiana, which focused on strategic planning and grant writing. Progress is underway for similar CBA trainings in Mississippi and Alabama. ASOs can request CBA on several organizational development topics including board development, fiscal management, grant writing, human resources, and strategic planning.

Results indicate that these trainings provide participants with knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to deliver effective HIV/AIDS services. Continuous assistance from CBA providers are critical to successfully address the challenges of HIV/AIDS in this region. Feedback from Louisiana allow for several recommendations such as developing HIV health education infrastructure for populations moving into the area after a disaster, providing cultural competent HIV/AIDS services, creating emergency back up plans to recover databases, investing in self care post trauma, and recruiting as well as retaining qualified staff post disaster relocation.

Learning Objectives:
Comprehend capacity building assistance (CBA) as a method to improving HIV/AIDS program efficacy and reducing health disparities Understand current and future needs of ASOs in Katrina-affected areas Learn about outcomes and challenges that organizations face in implementing recommendations Recognize challenges of providing large scale CBA to devastated areas

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I serve as the Director of the Technical Assistance, Training and Treatment Division at the National Minority AIDS Council.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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