Purpose
Using the Manual
Manual Development
Limitations of the Manual

Purpose

This manual is intended to help health department staff implement the reporting requirements described in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Evaluating CDC-Funded Health Department HIV Prevention Programs: Volumes 1 and 2, June, 2001¹ (i.e., the Guidance). It is intended to be a complement to the Guidance, not a substitute for it.

This manual describes various strategies that can be used by health departments to collect, analyze, report, and use Guidance data. These strategies reflect the collective experience and wisdom of health department staff gleaned during the first year of Guidance implementation. CDC acknowledges that there is no one way to implement the Guidance and developed this manual to help health department staff consider a variety of approaches to conducting Guidance activities. This manual is intended to stimulate health departments to enhance their current systems for implementing the Guidance.

Using the Manual

It is not necessary to read this manual from cover to cover. Readers are encouraged to go directly to the issues of greatest interest to them and to explore other parts of the manual as needed. Numerous examples of data collection tools and other resources are described in the narrative and included in the appendix. Direct quotes from health department representatives are also included to illustrate some issues.

This manual focuses on those aspects of Guidance implementation that have been most challenging to health departments. Some chapters address challenges unique to specific Guidance reporting requirements while others focus on issues related to the Guidance as a whole. Evaluation of community planning and linkages with the comprehensive HIV prevention plan are not addressed as the Guidance has not established significantly new reporting requirements in these areas and few health departments have experienced substantive challenges with these requirements. Health departments should contact their CDC project officer if they need technical assistance in these areas.

A Note on Terms: Health departments use various terms to describe who they fund including vendor, provider, grantee, and contractor. For simplicity, the term "contractor" is used throughout this manual to describe the agencies sub-contracted by health departments to conduct HIV prevention interventions supported with CDC funds.

Manual Development

The process for developing this manual began with in-depth telephone interviews conducted with representatives from 15 health departments across a range of evaluation capacity as well as with staff from CDC, ORC MACRO, and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD). These interviews identified challenges and successes in implementing the Guidance, as well as strategies, methods, and systems that supported Guidance implementation. Data collection tools, reporting forms, and other resources developed by health departments were collected and reviewed. Issues identified through interviews and materials review were further explored during monthly conference calls with health department representatives and other stakeholders, including many individuals who did not participate in the first round of interviews. Further insight into challenges, successes, and resources related to the Guidance was gleaned during an affinity session on the Guidance convened at the Community Planning Leadership Summit for HIV Prevention held in Houston, Texas, in March 2001; and during expert panel meetings for two CDC studies to 1) assess the evaluation capacity of health departments and 2) assess the impact of the Guidance on health departments and their grantees. An initial draft of the manual was reviewed by representatives from eight health departments as well as staff from NASTAD, ORC MACRO, and CDC. Through these various mechanisms, a total of 27 health departments contributed directly or indirectly to the development of this manual.

Limitations of the Manual

This manual is intended to help health department staff implement the Guidance and, therefore, does not describe strategies for conducting evaluation activities in excess of Guidance requirements.

Furthermore, the manual focuses specifically on those aspects of the Guidance that have posed the greatest challenges to health departments during the first year of implementation. It does not address all Guidance requirements and has minimized redundancy with the explanation of reporting requirements described in CDC's Evaluating CDC-Funded Health Department HIV Prevention Programs: Volumes 1 and 2, June 2001.