226628 Implementing an Effective National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Recommendations from Black and Hispanic/Latino HIV/AIDS Investigators Working in Highly Affected Black and Hispanic/Latino Communities

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Silvia Amesty, MD, MPH, MSEd , Center for Family and Community Medicine, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY
Emma J. Brown, PhD, RN, FAAN , CHARM, INC., Lake City, FL
Jose Nanin, EdD, CHES , Community Health Program, Kingsborough Community College, City Univeristy of New York, Brooklyn, NY
Guillermo Prado, PhD , Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami, Miami, FL
Carl Sneed, PhD , Department of Psychology, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA
Myriam E. Torres, PhD, MSPH , Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Patrick A. Wilson, PhD , Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Yzette Lanier, PhD , Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Leigh A. Willis, PhD, MPH , Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Madeline Y. Sutton, MD, MPH , Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Issues: An estimated 1.1 million individuals in the US are living with HIV. Blacks and Hispanics/Latinos are disproportionately impacted by HIV, accounting for 27% of the US population and 62% of incident HIV cases (2006). In response to this crisis, the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) is developing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The primary goals of NHAS are to: 1) reduce the incidence of HIV; 2) increase access to care and optimize health outcomes; and 3) reduce HIV-related health disparities.

Description: During 2009, ONAP held town hall meetings across the US to invite public comment to help guide the development of NHAS. During the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference, eight investigators funded through the Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (MARI), a CDC-sponsored initiative that supports researchers conducting HIV/AIDS research in Black and Hispanic/Latino communities, met to respond to ONAP's call for public comment.

Implications: MARI recommendations include: strengthening primary prevention in populations that have been largely overlooked in HIV prevention (e.g., youth of color, incarcerated persons, migrant and immigrant populations); providing comprehensive sex education in schools; providing universal health care for persons living with HIV/AIDS; increasing training opportunities for researchers and practitioners of color to diversify the HIV/AIDS workforce; matching federal funding to level of need in communities hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, and maintaining dialogue between affected communities and ONAP to facilitate feedback on NHAS progress.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session participants will be able to: 1) articulate the recommendations of junior researchers of color for the creation of a National HIV/AIDS Strategy focusing on the needs of highly affected communities of color.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was responsible for abstarct writing and analyses.
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.