HAB Information E-mail
Volume 12, Issue 19
September 10, 2009

HRSA/HAB News

• Going Online to Attack HIV/AIDS Stigma: TARGET Feature
• Hours Extended for Call Center RSR Support
• Town Hall II, RSR Submission Debrief Webcast: September 22, 1:00 pm ET
• TB and HIV/AIDS Featured in Latest CAREAction
• Ryan White Clinical Conference: Lodging, Registration Deadlines Near
• Webcast of National TA Conference Call on Re-Entry and HIV/AIDS Care
• Tool of the Month: Modeling Risk Assessment

Other News

• Updated Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of OIs in HIV-infected Children
• National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: September 27

HRSA/HAB News

Going Online to Attack HIV/AIDS Stigma: TARGET Feature
Agencies around the nation are increasingly using online media to speak up about HIV/AIDS stigma and barriers that keep many HIV-infected persons from getting and staying in care.  Examples of local and State efforts to break down stigma and engage people in care are highlighted in a TARGET Center Feature Article, the first in a series designed to provide a cross-cutting look at Ryan White TA issues.  Among the efforts is a public service announcement developed by the Southeast Ohio CARE Consortium, a consumer coalition; a multimedia campaign out of Seattle-King County to encourage clients to know their CD4 and viral load test results and take their medications regularly; and online efforts from North Dakota, AIDS Arms in Dallas; and the District of Columbia Department of Health.

Find the article on the TARGET Center

Other resources on stigma and engaging people in care.

Have an idea for a TARGET Center Feature Article? 

Hours Extended for Call Center RSR Support
To provide increased assistance with the RSR Interim Report, the HRSA Call Center is extending its hours beginning Tuesday, September 1, 2009 through Tuesday, September 15, 2009.  The new hours will be 9:00 am to 8:00 pm ET (Monday through Friday).

The HRSA Call Center addresses RSR system–related questions including:

• RSR System and Electronic Handbook (EHB) questions/issues/access problems;
• Validation questions related to the RSR computer application;
• XML upload problems;
• Distribution of the XML schema; and
• Bug/defect reporting.

Contact the HRSA Call Center at 877/464-4772 or via email at < CallCenter@hrsa.gov >.

Technical assistance on the RSR is also available.

Town Hall II, RSR Submission Debrief Webcast: September 22, 1:00 pm ET
Thank you for your efforts in submitting the RSR!  Now, we are looking for your feedback on the process.  Join us for a second Town Hall meeting, during which you can inform us of your submission challenges, recommend strategies for a smoother 2009 annual RSR process, and ask questions of the RSR TA team.  Like the previous Town Hall Webcast, we will provide a brief introduction and then open the floor for your questions and comments.

To register for the Webcast.

TB and HIV/AIDS Featured in Latest CAREAction
Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a serious public health threat for people living with HIV/AIDS, especially for those with severely compromised immune systems.  See the August CAREAction for an overview of TB symptoms and transmission, care and treatment, and highlights from several programs addressing TB and HIV.  A pull-out chart on TB diagnosis in people with HIV/AIDS (from Federal guidelines) is also included in the newsletter.

Download the newsletter.

Ryan White Clinical Conference: Lodging, Registration Deadlines Near
The Clinical Conference for Ryan White grantees will take place October 15-17, 2009 in Dallas, with a full slate of sessions on HIV treatment issues and current strategies in HIV medical care.  Registration is open to those prescribers (physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other direct clinical decision makers) who are actively involved in HIV care in Ryan White Program-funded clinics.  The conference offers a 2.5-day Continuing Medical Education (CME) program and has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.

There are a limited number of seats available and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Registration deadline for the conference is October 2.
• Registration deadline for a hotel room is September 22.

The conference is supported by HRSA/HAB and is being planned collaboratively by HRSA/HAB staff and the HRSA/HAB-funded Southeast AIDS Training and Education Center (SEATEC) and the Texas/Oklahoma AIDS Education and Training Center (TX/OK AETC).  This CME program is sponsored by the International AIDS Society-USA (IAS-USA).

For questions regarding the conference, contact IAS–USA at 415/544-9400 or < rwprogram2009@iasusa.org >.

Registration forms and additional information on the meeting, including the preliminary agenda, allowable meeting and travel costs for RW Program grantees, hotel reservations, continuing education credits, and more are available.

See past Ryan White clinical conference materials at the TARGET Center’s TA Library by searching under “Clinical Update”.

Webcast of National TA Conference Call on Re-Entry and HIV/AIDS Care
A Webcast of a National TA conference call on re-entry and HIV/AIDS care is now available on the TARGET Center.  The call served as a forum for the Ryan White community to share leading practices on challenges and successes in addressing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS who are leaving the prison system.  The panel included Ryan White grantees from Broward County (FL), Illinois, New York City, Portland (OR), and Wisconsin.  The speakers covered such issues as:

• How to develop a re-entry program and create guidelines for successful re-entry;
• How to develop a solid discharge plan;
• Challenges to discharge planning and strategies to overcome barriers; and
• Strategies for coordinating services and using linkages to transition into stable housing.

Listen to the Webcast and access related resources.

Tool of the Month: Modeling Risk Assessment
This 1-hour online training for oral health practitioners is intended to increase the learner's confidence in initiating assessment conversations with patients.  It does this by modeling four different exchanges that might occur in the dental office or clinic between the patient and the care provider. The topics covered include: pregnancy and HIV; adherence to antiretroviral medications; illegal drug use; and oral sex.  The assessment was developed by the HRSA/HAB-supported Pacific AETC.

Check out the Tool of the Month on the TARGET Center.

Other News

Updated Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of OIs in HIV-infected Children
Updated guidelines for pediatricians and other health care professionals who care for children living with HIV or have been exposed to the virus have been released.  The guidelines, which were released in the August 26, 2009 issue of the MMWR, provide recommendations for the most effective ways to diagnose, prevent, and treat opportunistic infections (OIs).  The guidelines were developed by officials from the CDC, NIH, HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, and American Academy of Pediatrics.  View the guidelines.

See press release that provides details on some of the changes.

National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: September 27

National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD), which takes place September 27, is designed to refocus attention on a community that has long been affected by the HIV epidemic.  NGMAHAD's goals are to 1) raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among gay men, 2) encourage HIV testing, early diagnosis, and linkage to care, 3) promote better understanding of the complex factors that drive HIV transmission among gay men, and 4) obtain broad-based support for needed public and private resources and governmental policies to prevent new infections among gay men and to provide treatment for gay men living with HIV/AIDS. Learn more about NGMHAAD.

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