USCA WORKSHOP SERIES WILL HIGHLIGHT SMAIF-SUPPORTED PROGRAMMING SERVING MINORITY COMMUNITIES

September 9, 2016 • By Timothy Harrison, PhD, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Dr. Timothy Harrison

Next week, OHAIDP will participate in the 20th U.S. Conference on AIDS (USCA)

in Hollywood, Florida. Organized by NMAC, this annual event brings together public health workers, advocates, policy makers, and people living with HIV to share their creative new ideas and bold strategies for achieving the goals of our National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).

OHAIDP is honored to have the opportunity to present a four-part workshop series about the Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative Fund (SMAIF) and how current SMAIF programming supports the four critical focus areas identified in the NHAS Update: widespread HIV testing and linkage to care; comprehensive care for people living with HIV; universal viral suppression; and full access to PrEP services. Established by Congress in 1999 as part of the Minority AIDS Initiative, SMAIF provides more than $50 million each year to support a wide range of activities to improve HIV-related health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority populations and reduce HIV-related health disparities.

The USCA workshop series, SMAIF Pathway: Catalyst for Change in Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities, will showcase the important work funded by the SMAIF to better reach and serve racial and ethnic minority populations; provide a forum to discuss existing gaps, unmet needs, and untapped opportunities; and solicit strategic ideas for the future of SMAIF.

The four workshops in the SMAIF series will be:

Addressing Co-Morbidities and Sociostructural Barriers to Improve Health Outcomes
Outreach, Education and Technical Assistance in Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities
The Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative Fund: A Community Engagement Session
Integrating Program Innovation to Improve Prevention and Care Services

If you plan to attend USCA, I hope you will join us for these workshops, learn more about SMAIF-funded activities, and contribute your ideas for how the SMAIF can continue to be responsive to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the needs of racial and ethnic minority populations.

And be sure to follow the discussion about SMAIF and other exciting news from USCA on social media, using #2016USCA

. For more details and for specific workshop times/dates, please see the USCA agenda