• HRSA/HAB Awards $550 Million for HIV/AIDS Care, Services
• Workshop Proposals for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Meeting: Deadline April 17
• Early Findings from SPNS Initiative on Buprenorphine
• Trainings on Consumer Participation in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Planning
• Train-the-Trainer on Unmet Need: April 29-May 1, Washington, DC
• New Resources from HRSA's Bright Futures for Women’s Health and Wellness Initiative

OTHER NEWS

• New Report on Addressing HIV in Native American Communities
• CDC Adds Webpage on Safe Travel for People with HIV

HRSA/HAB NEWS

HRSA/HAB Awards $550 Million for HIV/AIDS Care, Services
HRSA/HAB has awarded $550 million in grants to fund primary care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS in 56 cities and major urban areas. The grants were awarded to 22 eligible metropolitan areas (EMAs) with the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS and to 34 transitional grant areas (TGAs) experiencing increases in HIV/AIDS cases and emerging care needs.

The awards are provided under Part A of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. To be eligible as EMAs, metropolitan areas must have a cumulative total of more than 2,000 AIDS cases over the most recent five-year period and a population of 50,000 or more persons. Cities are considered TGAs if they have at least 1,000, but not more than 1,999, cumulative AIDS cases during the most recent five years, and a population of 50,000 or more persons.

View a press release on the awards, including a list of recipients and grant amounts.

Workshop Proposals for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Meeting: Deadline April 17
The 2008 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Meeting will be held August 25-28, 2008 in Washington, DC. The deadline to submit workshop proposals is April 17.

The meeting emphasizes technical assistance and training so workshops should focus on sharing ideas, best practices, and other how-to information that is beneficial for the Ryan White community. Workshops should address one of the seven meeting tracks: 1) access to care; 2) administration/fiscal; 3) coordination and linkages; 4) cultural competency; 5) prevention/care continuum; 6) program development; and 7) quality, evaluation, and data. A workshop is 90-minutes long and should include time for questions and answers. If you submit a workshop that will only be 30, 45, or 60 minutes long, your workshop will be grouped with other workshops on a similar topic. A maximum of three speakers for panel workshops is suggested.

To submit an abstract for a workshop go to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Meeting website.

Early Findings from SPNS Initiative on Buprenorphine
Early findings from a SPNS initiative to determine the effectiveness of integrating buprenorphine opioid abuse treatment into HIV primary care settings are the focus of the latest issue of “What’s Going On @ SPNS.” In September 2004, HRSA/HAB’s SPNS program designed the Buprenorphine Initiative to determine the effectiveness of integrating buprenorphine opioid abuse treatment into HIV primary care settings. The initiative funded 10 model demonstration programs around the country. The newsletter presents early findings that point to the importance of: developing a team approach to treatment; understanding barriers to treatment like mental illness and chronic pain; establishing full-time support for patients; and aggressively screening for opiate abuse.

Trainings on Consumer Participation in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Planning
New training dates have been set for Leadership in Advocacy and Planning (LEAP), which provide training to strengthen the leadership and planning skills of people living with HIV for participation in Ryan White planning bodies. The trainings are conducted by the Academy for Educational Development (AED) and funded under a HRSA/HAB cooperative agreement. The trainings will take place:

Riverside / San Bernardino, April 15-17
Memphis, May 6-8
Dallas, May 28-30

To learn more about the LEAP trainings, contact Scott Thompson at < sthompso@aed.org > or (202) 884-8895. Grantees wishing to learn more about a LEAP training in their area should contact Scott Thompson or their HRSA/HAB project officer.

For more information on HAB-supported TA in an array of areas, from unmet need to quality, see the TARGET Center's “Sources of TA” page.

Train-the-Trainer on Unmet Need: April 29-May 1, Washington, DC
AIDS Action Foundation has an upcoming Connecting to Care “Train the Trainer” session scheduled for April 29-May 1, 2008 in Washington, DC. The goal of the training 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. The training is supported by a cooperative agreement with HRSA/HAB. Limited scholarships are available to participants traveling to the session from outside of the Washington, DC Metro area.

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-infected 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 >.

New Resources from HRSA's Bright Futures for Women’s Health and Wellness Initiative
HRSA's Bright Futures for Women’s Health and Wellness Initiative (BFWHW) is designed to encourage better health among women across their lifespan. Its mission is to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate culturally competent consumer, health care provider, and community products that will increase women’s awareness and use of preventive health services. Target audiences include adolescent females and adult women, as well as community groups and primary care clinicians.

BFWHW tools are now available to address the connection between mental and physical health. The tools are wellness-focused, evidence-based and easy to read and understand. Based on evidence and user feedback, the tools focus on three main concepts: 1) appreciating self; 2) finding balance and purpose in life; and 3) connecting with others.

Online versions will be made available in the near future. Free copies of the BFWHW Mental Health and Wellness Tools are available in limited quantities from the HRSA Information Center at 1-888-ASK-HRSA.

BFWHW Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Tools are also available at the HRSA Information Center.

Additional BFWHW tools coming soon will focus on physical activity and healthy eating for rural young and adult women, and maternal wellness materials.

OTHER NEWS

New Report on Addressing HIV in Native American Communities
A new report on strategies and approaches for health departments to consider in working with Native American communities to address HIV/AIDS in Native American communities has been released by the National Alliance for State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD). This update to a report released in 2004 includes a list of several important resources; a description of how HIV/AIDS services for Native Americans are organized at the Federal level; a list of pertinent U.S. laws related to Native Americans; and a glossary of important terms related to HIV/AIDS and Native Americans.

CDC Adds Webpage on Safe Travel for People with HIV
With summer coming up, people’s minds may be turning to travel. CDC has posted a new webpage addressing how people living with HIV can stay healthy when they travel, especially if they are going abroad. The webpage includes information on suggested vaccinations for individuals with compromised immune systems and precautions related to food and water. View the new webpage.:

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