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Partnerships are a critical component of the Advancing HIV Prevention (AHP)
initiative. The new initiative has facilitated an increase in the number
of CDC partnerships in place and enhanced collaborative activities with
existing partners.
Federal Partnerships
CDC AHP-related
partnership activities include work with federal partners such as:
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Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) – reviewing the
evidence for routine HIV screening for adults and for pregnant women
to ensure appropriate recommendations for testing are in place.
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) –
updating the 1995 letter on perinatal testing to state Medicaid
directors to encourage reimbursement for prenatal HIV testing under
the opt-out approach and for rapid opt-out HIV testing at labor and
delivery, and encouraging reimbursement for routine HIV testing of
sexually active Medicaid- and Medicare-eligible patients. (The opt-out
approach means that pregnant women are notified that an HIV test will
be routinely included in the standard battery of prenatal tests for
all pregnant women, but they can decline HIV testing.) CMS is also
participating in a case management workgroup to develop a set of
recommendations for states, Eligible Metropolitan Areas (EMAs), and
communities on integrated or collaborative case management systems.
These guidelines will be useful in establishing some uniformity across
various agencies’ approach to case management.
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Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
– sharing case management expertise with CDC related to HUD’s Housing
Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program and participating
in the case management workgroup.
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Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – incorporating
prevention services into care for HIV-infected patients.
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Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) –
ensuring the implementation of AHP strategies in HRSA-funded programs,
including the Ryan White Care Act, consolidated health centers, and
maternal and child health programs. Working with CDC, HRSA
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incorporated AHP language into the application guidance for Ryan
White Care Act grantees.
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established a working group to develop guidelines for case
management (with CMS, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration [SAMHSA], and HUD).
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prepared estimates of the need for increased care and treatment
services for HIV infected persons identified through this initiative.
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conducted a session on AHP perinatal HIV screening strategies for a
series of audio-conferences.
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developing an operational guide for community health centers to
incorporate routine HIV testing and prevention into the medical care
of HIV-infected patients.
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consider updating Bureau of Primary Health Care Policy Information
Notice (PIN) #94-44 (Services for Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Infection) to include AHP.
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Office of Population Affairs (OPA) – working with CDC
to incorporate AHP strategies into family planning programs.
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SAMHSA – collaborating with CDC to acquire expertise
on implementation of a large-scale rapid testing initiative, including
procurement of rapid test kits, site selection, training, and
monitoring and evaluation. This initiative will develop capacity to
provide rapid testing at substance abuse treatment and prevention
programs, methadone maintenance sites, and mental health programs.
SAMHSA is also participating in the case management working group with
CMS, HRSA, and HUD.
Other Partnerships
CDC AHP-related
partnership activities also include work with nonfederal partners such
as
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American Hospital Association (AHA) – developing
operational guidance and providing technical assistance on HIV testing
in hospitals; through its research and education affiliate, the Health
Research and Educational Trust (HRET), surveying AHA members on status
of perinatal HIV screening and care policies in hospitals.
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American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
– exploring development of clinical guidance for routine rapid HIV
testing of women in labor with unknown HIV status, as well as repeat
HIV screening during pregnancy in geographic areas with high HIV
seroprevalence; partnering with CDC to produce patient and
professional perinatal HIV educational materials and clinical
guidance; publishing summary of state HIV testing regulations.
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American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) – assessing
current practices of members to inform CDC communications efforts; CDC
experts are reviewing their training materials to ensure adequate
coverage of HIV prevention and writing an article on prevention in
care for the AAHIVM Study Guide.
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American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of
Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
– advising CDC on the policy, legal, and financial challenges
associated with implementation of HIV screening and testing in
emergency department settings.
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CityMatCH – collaborating with CDC to promote
information and effort sharing among all its perinatal HIV grantees
(prevention programs, national organizations, and enhanced perinatal
surveillance).
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François-Xavier Bagnoud Center (FXB) – incorporating
information about prenatal HIV testing, rapid HIV testing at labor and
delivery for women of unknown HIV status, and prenatal HIV therapy to
prevent HIV transmission into printed materials and training courses.
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Health Plans and Managed Care Representatives –
advising CDC on a study of the cost effectiveness of early HIV
diagnosis.
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Infectious
Diseases Society of America
– through its HIV Medicine Association, partnered with CDC, HRSA, and
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop Incorporating
HIV Prevention into the Medical Care of Persons Living with HIV
recommendations.
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National Business Group on Health (formerly Washington
Business Group on Health) – working with CDC to determine how
to incorporate HIV prevention services into the benefits that
self-insured companies offer their employees.
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National Association of Community Health Centers, Migrant
Clinicians Network, and National Coalition for the Homeless –
creating model protocols and policies for use in community health
centers on prevention for persons living with HIV and on encouraging
testing for persons with unknown HIV status.
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National Association of Social Workers –
collaborating with CDC, CMS, HRSA, HUD/HOPWA, and SAMHSA in the
development of a set of recommendations for states, EMAs, and
communities on integrated or collaborative case management systems.
Public/Private Partnerships
AHP goals
and objectives are being incorporated into the activities of the
National HIV/AIDS Partnership (NHAP). Through national public and
private partnership alliances with leaders of communities hardest hit by
the epidemic, NHAP will promote AHP strategies. Future NHAP goals
include developing additional relationships with faith and business
leaders to address stigma as a barrier to HIV testing.
CDC AHP-related
partnership activities also include work with national public and
private sector partners such as
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National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
(NAFEO) – worked with CDC to distribute National HIV Testing
Day kits to 118 Historically Black Colleges and Universities and
contacted each school to encourage use of these materials.
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San Diego Padres – conducted an HIV/AIDS Awareness
Night with pregame activities that included a human formation of the
AIDS red ribbon and a display of sections of the Names Project AIDS
Memorial Quilt. The Partnership’s messages, “Get Tested” and “Get
Care,” were included in the official game program and displayed on the
electronic scoreboard during the event.
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Magic Johnson Foundation – collaborated with CDC on
an HIV/AIDS prevention program promoting the benefits of early
testing. The program was for African-American and Latino college
students. Previously, Johnson lent his name and signature to the
Partnership’s recruitment materials, urging celebrities to support the
Partnership’s messages.
CDC and
its partners are now moving into year two of AHP. The collaborations
described above will be critical to the success of the plans
established in year one and to achieving the goals of AHP.
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