• Medicare Drug Benefit 101: New Audio Slides Available
• Submit Photos for the 2008 Ryan White Grantee Meeting: Deadline February 28
• Report Focuses on Services for People Living with HIV in Correctional Facilities
• Train-the-Trainer on Unmet Need: February 27-28, Nashville, March 26-27, Dallas
• Training Opportunity on Integrating Peer Advocates in Multi-disciplinary Teams: Houston, April 14-17, Application Deadline February 29
• Symposium on Quality of Care, Cultural Competence for People of Color with HIV: March 28, Washington, DC
• SPNS in the Literature
• HAB Studying TA Needs of Grantees on Health Care Financing, Medicaid, and Health Care Reforms

OTHER NEWS

• National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: March 10
• National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: March 20

HRSA/HAB NEWS

Medicare Drug Benefit 101: New Audio Slides Available
The Medicare Part D prescription drug plan is a complex and detail-laden benefit. Knowing the details is crucial for new clients who become Medicare eligible as well as those already on Medicare who are interested in making changes in their current coverage. New to the TARGET Center is an online audio and slide tutorial on the basics about Medicare Part D. It covers benefits available for low-income persons, how to enroll, and what to look for in plans. This tool has particular value for case managers, benefits counselors, and consumers as it allows the user to pause and review key points about the benefit. To view the slide show look under “What’s New” at the TARGET Center at:

Submit Photos for the 2008 Ryan White Grantee Meeting: Deadline February 28
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees are being asked to send photos (and videos) to HRSA/HAB for use in preparing audio-visual displays for the 2008 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Training and Technical Assistance Meeting and Clinical Update, to be held August 25-28 in Washington DC. Submitted items may be used in plenary session graphics and the program book. A similar request for visuals was conducted for the 2006 grantee meeting and proved so successful that HRSA/HAB decided to ask again in order to create graphic elements to illustrate the front-line work of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees across the Nation.

Photos are due February 28 and must be in digital format (typically, JPEG). Larger file sizes are preferred, ideally no smaller than 1 MB. Visuals might feature, for example, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantee staff at work, client interactions, and neighborhoods/cityscapes. If photos include people, a signed “permission to use” form of the subjects must be on file, particularly for client photos. HRSA/HAB can provide a sample form for those programs needing one.

Submit photos by downloading them to the TARGET Center:

Photos can also be sent via email to < agambrell@hrsa.gov > or regular mail to Alan Gambrell, HRSA/HAB, 5600 Fishers Lane, 7-29, Rockville, MD 20857. Call 301-443-0527 with questions or comments.

HRSA/HAB is also open to getting short digital video segments and may even be able to use very short segments, from 5 to 20 seconds. Videos should be sent via regular mail at the above address.

For additional guidance on submitting photos and visuals go to:

Report Focuses on Services for People Living with HIV in Correctional Facilities
HRSA and the CDC developed a partnership in 1999 to provide funding to support demonstration projects within correctional facilities and communities that develop models of comprehensive surveillance, prevention, and health care activities for HIV, STIs, TB, substance abuse, and hepatitis. A new report, “Opening Doors: The HRSA-CDC Corrections Demonstration Project for People Living with HIV/AIDS,” describes the initiative; its intent, development, and implementation; and lessons learned.

From 1999 to 2004, HRSA and the CDC jointly funded a national corrections demonstration project in seven States (California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey). The HIV/AIDS Intervention, Prevention, and Continuity of Care Demonstration Project for Incarcerated Individuals Within Correctional Settings and the Community, known as the Corrections Demonstration Project (CDP), involved jail, prison, and juvenile settings. The program targeted inmates with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, TB, substance abuse, and STIs. It supported an array of services that included treatment for HIV and other diseases in correctional facilities; discharge planning; case management to link clients to services following release; and, in two States (California and New Jersey), prevention case management for high-risk, HIV-negative releasees.

To view the report go to:

The report can also be found, along with other TA resources on corrections issues, in the TARGET Center TA Library at

Train-the-Trainer on Unmet Need: February 27-28, Nashville, March 26-27, Dallas
AIDS Action Foundation has two upcoming Connecting to Care “Train the Trainer” sessions scheduled. The first will be held February 27-28 in Nashville and the second will be take place March 26-27 in Dallas. The goal of the trainings is to introduce the Connecting to Care curriculum to professionals who are in a position to carry out trainings and workshops and continue sharing the model with service providers and others working with HIV-infected clients. This is an opportunity to learn the Connecting to Care curriculum on addressing unmet need, receive the materials used in the trainings, and prepare to deliver workshops/trainings to Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees, HIV administrators, community planning bodies, and other HIV care and service providers. These trainings are supported through a cooperative agreement with HRSA/HAB.

The Connecting to Care training “Strategies for Connecting People to Care: Addressing Unmet Need in HIV” is a hands-on learning module that aims to help training participants strengthen existing community-based programs and design new ones that connect HIV positive people to medical care. The training is based on research conducted in communities across the country and uses workbooks that capture best practices and give participants useful examples. The flexible two-day curriculum reviews the research and provides practical applications of best practices from successful programs. Training sessions can also be tailored to assist providers serving two specific communities: currently and formerly incarcerated individuals and those living in rural communities.

For registration information contact Dea Varsovczky at < dvarsovczky@aidsaction.org >.

Training Opportunity on Integrating Peer Advocates in Multi-disciplinary Teams: Houston, April 14-17, Application Deadline February 29
Cicatelli Associates, through a cooperative agreement with HRSA/HAB, is conducting “Peer Advocates as Essential Members of Multi-Disciplinary Health Care Teams,” an innovative training and technical assistance project to establish best practices on integrating peer advocates in multi-disciplinary teams that deliver health care for people living with HIV. The goal is for peer advocates to work as valued members of HIV health care teams and contribute to improvements in health care access, comprehensiveness, continuity, quality, and cost. Space is still available for the trainings targeting the Southwestern Region, which will take place in Houston on April 14-17. The deadline for applications is February 29.

This project will provide training and technical assistance to peer advocates, peer supervisors, and clinic managers working within the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program care and treatment community. In order to receive free training and technical assistance, agencies that participate must commit to the following: 1) sponsoring travel, accommodations, and per diem for the peer advocates, peer supervisor, and clinic manager so they may participate in the training program; 2) participating in all project-related technical assistance activities; and 3) participating in all pre- and post-training/technical assistance evaluation activities.

The training program will be four consecutive days with peer advocates attending the first three days, and peer supervisors and clinic managers attending the last two days. All agencies participating in this project will receive technical assistance following the training program. The technical assistance will include telephone consultations, distribution of resource materials, and virtual learning classrooms.

For more information go to:

Symposium on Quality of Care, Cultural Competence for People of Color with HIV: March 28, Washington, DC
A symposium focusing on cultural competence and quality of care for people of color living with HIV will be held Friday, March 28 in Washington, DC. “HIV and Minorities: Cultural Competence and Quality of Care” will bring together key clinicians and cultural competency experts concerned with improving the care of minority patients living with HIV/AIDS. The symposium is sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center’s (NMAETC).

The three overarching goals of the Symposium are to: 1) convene a diverse range of clinical experts in the area of HIV and cultural competence who provide service to minorities living with HIV/AIDS to address best practices and processes in caring for this population to reduce related disparity; 2) develop a resource of culturally competent clinicians who are available on a national level to provide leadership in the area of cultural competence and quality of care in minority populations; and 3) publish a compendium of best practices on cultural competence and quality of care in minority populations.

For more information go to:

SPNS in the Literature
Findings from SPNS-supported programs have appeared in various journals in the past few months.

* Publications on the SPNS Targeted HIV Outreach and Intervention Initiative

AIDS Patients Care and STDs, Volume 21, Supplement 2007, focuses on findings of the 2001-2006 SPNS-funded initiative, Targeted HIV Outreach and Intervention Model Development and Evaluation for Under-served HIV Positive Populations Not In Care.

“Making the Connection: The Importance of Engagement and Retention in HIV Medical Care” highlights results of the national 5-year multisite initiative to “engage people in HIV care, turn sporadic users of care into regular users, and promote retention in care.” The publication is available online at:

http://www.liebertonline.com/toc/apc/21/s1?cookieSet=1

* Journal Supplement from the SPNS Prevention with HIV Positive Persons in a Clinical Setting Initiative

HIV Prevention with HIV-Infected Persons Seen in Primary Care Settings: Implementation of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Special Projects of National Significance Initiative. AIDS and Behavior. September 2007. Volume 11 (5).

HAB Studying TA Needs of Grantees on Health Care Financing, Medicaid, and Health Care Reforms
HRSA/HAB has contracted with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) to conduct an assessment and develop technical assistance strategies for HRSA/HAB grantees in addressing the challenges posed by the health care financing provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) and other state Medicaid and health care reforms. With input from stakeholders plus all of the HRSA/HAB Divisions, six states were selected for case study analysis: California, Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. The study calls for onsite interviews with HRSA/HAB grantees, providers and consumers from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Parts A, B, C, and D, as well with state Medicaid directors and HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations.

MPR conducted interviews in Florida (Jacksonville Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA)) on January 23-24, Tennessee (Nashville Transitional Grant Area (TGA)) on January 28-29, and Texas (Dallas EMA) on February 11-12. The MPR team will conduct site visits in Massachusetts (Boston EMA) on February 21-22 and California (Los Angeles EMA) on February 25-26. In collaboration with Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees, MPR is currently finalizing a site visit to Missouri (St. Louis EMA).

OTHER NEWS

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: March 10
March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The purpose of this annual day is to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls and encourage women and girls to take action. The theme for 2008 is “Honoring Our Sisters: Women Living with HIV/AIDS.”

Historically, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has affected more men than women, but women are being increasingly affected. Since 1985 the proportion of estimated AIDS cases diagnosed among women has more than tripled, from 8 percent in 1985 to 27 percent in 2005. And although each year more men than women become infected with HIV, this gap is slowly closing. In fact, if new HIV infections continue at their current rate worldwide, women with HIV may soon outnumber men with HIV. The epidemic has increased most dramatically among women of color, especially black women. In 2005, women of color accounted for 80 percent of all women estimated to be living with AIDS; black women made up 62 percent of this total.

More information and downloadable resources are available:

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: March 20
The second Annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD) will be held on March 20, 2008. HIV is affecting thousands of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). AI/AN have the third highest rate of AIDS diagnosis in the United States, despite having the smallest population. AI/AN people with AIDS are likely to be younger than non-AI/AN people with AIDS. AI/ANs also have the shortest time between AIDS diagnosis and death.

A number of resources have been developed to help communities commemorate the event. These include: toolkit, poster, save the date card, and buttons. The materials were developed by the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, Center for Applied Studies in American Ethnicity, and the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona.

To access the resources:

Additional information and resources is available from the DHHS’s Office of Minority Health at:

In addition to the resources listed above, don’t forget to check out these other HAB resources, which are updated regularly.

TARGET Center, Central Source for Ryan White TA

The HAB Information E-mail is distributed biweekly by the HRSA/HAB Division of Training and Technical Assistance (DTTA). To subscribe or unsubscribe contact < pjones1@hrsa.gov>.