CDC Telebriefing
HIV Prevention Update and Discussion
Wed, Aug 4th
4:00 PM (Eastern)/1:00 PM (Pacific)

Please join the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for an important call about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and an opportunity to redefine our nation’s approach to HIV prevention. As you will recall, the NHAS has set a goal of reducing new HIV infections by 25% within the next 5 years. I want to commend the White House, HHS and CDC for an ambitious goal. I particularly want to thank Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Janet Cleveland, Rich Wolitski and Rashad Burgess for having such an open process. It is a refreshing continuation of the NHAS process to be open and transparent with community (Please see CDC announcement below).

If you want to join the call, you need to send an email to DHAPCommunications@cdc.gov by COB Monday, August 2, 2010. You will receive a reply e-mail with the call-in numbers and links to resources that may help you prepare for the discussion. Registering for the call enables DHAP to have enough call lines available, and provides a mechanism for follow-up with participants, if necessary.

As you prepare for the call, think of the important questions or issues you would like to raise. The NHAS is calling for a shared responsibility to end this epidemic. It is time for all of us to do our parts. They are giving us an opportunity to have input. Don’t complain about the solutions, unless you participate in the process.

You must come prepared. Write your questions or issues down in advance of the call. Get to your point quickly because others also want to be heard. It is not enough to just listen, you represent a constituency that needs your voice at the table to tell the truth about their lives. They need to know the issues and challenges of serving Black Gay Men, Gay Men of Color, All Gay Men, Black Women, Latinas, Trans Community, Drug Using Community, Sex Workers, Incarcerated, or whoever your target population.

25% reduction is a very ambitious, but achievable goal. Its going to require all of us. What is the role of community based organizations (CBO)? What is the role of state or local health departments? What is the role of People Living with HIV?

How will we measure reductions in new HIV infections? Will it be estimates or actual case numbers? Will we have the same goal of 25% reduction across the country or will it vary by region or target populations? How will you be able to determine if your specific program is reducing the number of new infections?

Will we do outcome evaluations, as well as process evaluations? What is the expectation, capacity and financial commitment to CBOs to do outcome evaluations. How can we standardize the evaluation process so that we measure apple against apple?

Will there be specific numbered targets for reducing new HIV infections for CBOs, state or local health departments? What are the consequences of not reaching your target? Will there be the resources necessary to achieve that target? How much money is it going to cost to reduce new infections by 25%?

The NHAS document talked about moving resources from low incidence areas to high incidence areas. What is the plan to make this happen? What will be the impact on my CBOs or health department? Is there really enough money in these low incidence areas to have an impact of the reduction of new HIV cases? How much money are we talking about?

Will there be specific targets for the directly funded CBOs to reduce new HIV infections? How will their work be incorporated into the work of other CBOs and health departments? How will you know who is reducing new HIV infections, i.e. was it the directly funded CBO, another CBO, health department or research project. What is the role of structural interventions like Test and Treat, Prep or microbicides? How will we know which intervention is actually reducing the number of new infections?

These are real tough questions and we may not have all the answers. It is very difficult to prove a negative, i.e. to prove that someone did NOT get infected. This is not just the challenge for HIV, this is the challenge for all prevention programs.

Once again, I want to thank the CDC and Dr. Mermin for having such an open process. They are sending an important message to community and they deserve an equivalent response and commitment. I look forward to hearing the dialogue on Wednesday’s call. I am not going to talk on the call, the CDC hears enough from me, probably too much! It is up to you to carry the ball for your constituents, your agency and our movement. Your voice is critical, please make sure it is heard. Email (pkawata@nmac.org) me if you have any questions.

Yours in the struggle,

Paul Kawata
Executive Director
National Minority AIDS Council


Message From Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
WHO:
AIDS Directors, Surveillance Coordinators, Executive Directors of CBOs and National Organizations, researchers, practitioners, stakeholders, and others interested in HIV prevention

WHAT:
Tele-conference call update and discussion with Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention

WHY:
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), released this month by the White House, gives the HIV Prevention Community an opportunity to redefine our nation’s approach to HIV prevention and calls for shared responsibility to end this epidemic. This is a time characterized by optimism, great promise, and urgency. One of our many roles at CDC during this important time is to discuss progress, priorities, and emerging evidence. CDC will work hard to communicate routinely so that we can all maximize opportunities to advance HIV prevention and build upon momentum the NHAS has generated.

Discussion Points for this initial conference call include:

• HIV Prevention approaches in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: What are the opportunities for our collective work?
• New research released during the International AIDS Conference
• New research published in JAIDS projecting possible courses of the US epidemic given multiple scenarios
  

WHEN:
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 from 4:00PM EDT until 5:00PM EDT

HOW:
RSVP to DHAPCommunications@cdc.gov by COB Monday, August 2, 2010. You will receive a reply e-mail with the call-in numbers and links to resources that may help you prepare for the discussion. Registering for the call enables DHAP to have enough call lines available, and provides a mechanism for follow-up with participants, if necessary.



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