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In this edition of the NASTAD Prevention Bulletin, we focus on testing and linkages to care for HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis. As our nation expands HIV testing in order to reach the 25 percent of Americans estimated to be infected with HIV who are not aware of their status, our focus has also shifted to ensure that those who are identified actually receive their test results and are linked into and receive care and treatment services for their infection. In this Bulletin, we provide links to several resources on the subject, both from NASTAD as well as from state and federal partners. back to top > Share Your Perspectives and Approaches on NASTAD's Blog! While efforts to better link care and prevention at the state and local levels are showing fruition, there is no universally shared concept of "linkages to care." Is it enough for prevention programs to document that referrals into care were made when providing prevention counseling and testing services? Should we confirm that referrals made actually result in a visit with a care provider or case manager? Where should programs be spending their most energy and resources to ensure those testing positive are actually linked into care services? Does "linkages to care" mean something different to prevention and care providers, and if so, is this difference great enough to warrant attention and action in order to arrive at a shared understanding that ultimately benefits individuals needing the services? NASTAD invites you to comment on these questions and/or to share information about how your program approaches testing and linkages to care at:http://nastad.wordpress.com/. We will actively monitor the blog posts and link them to the main NASTAD website. back to top > Expanding the Nation's Approach to Testing and Linkages to Care Webinar In November 2009, NASTAD and the American Psychological Association (APA) convened a technical assistance webinar entitled: Expanding the Nation's Approach: Scaling-Up HIV Testing and Linkages to Care Among Blacks and Latinos, to provide a forum for sharing information and discussion about expanded testing. (Note: Scroll forward to minute 10:19 for the start of the webinar content.) back to top > NASTAD Expanded HIV Testing Report In September 2007 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded 23 jurisdictions through program announcement PS07-768 Expanded and Integrated Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Testing for Populations Disproportionately Affected by HIV Primarily African Americans, or the "Expanded Testing Initiative." CDC's stated goals of the program are to achieve 1.5 million tests and to identify 20,000 newly reported cases of HIV infection annually, with 80 percent of those tests taking place in clinical settings such as hospital emergency departments, community health centers and correctional health care systems. All jurisdictions, including two additional ones funded in 2008, have been charged with developing innovative and creative programmatic approaches, including the use of rapid HIV testing technologies, to ensure that HIV-positive persons receive their test results. Establishing routine testing as a standard of care across the health care system is another goal of these projects. NASTAD conducted a survey of these jurisdictions in December 2008 and published a subsequent Expanded HIV Testing Report that provides background on the expanded testing initiative and highlights the findings of the survey. The report highlights notable examples of implementation successes and challenges and offers recommendations for next steps. back to top > CDC's Approach to Testing and Linkages to Care Overall, CDC’s approach to testing is centered around its program guidance. In September 2006, CDC released Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings. These recommendations advise routine HIV screening of adults, adolescents, and pregnant women in health care settings in the United States and on reducing testing barriers. They followed the approach unveiled by CDC in 2003 called "Advancing HIV Prevention (AHP): New Strategies for a Changing Epidemic," which sought to make HIV testing a routine part of medical care and provided new models for diagnosing HIV infections outside medical settings. CDC is now in the process of updating recommendations for HIV testing in non-health care settings, with publication expected in 2010. CDC's HIV Testing page has numerous resources and references for more information on their approach to testing and linkages to care. Not only are there reports and fact sheets, but also slide sets, training resources and podcasts, including:
For more information contact your CDC project officer or NASTAD prevention staff. back to top > Overview of HRSA/HAB Linkages to Care Activities The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB), works on linkages to care in the following four main areas of activity..
For more information contact Angela Seegars. back to top > NASTAD Member Perspectives: Examples of Health Department Approaches to HIV Testing and Linkages to Care In conjunction with the webinar convened by NASTAD and APA, NASTAD released three video profiles detailing health department HIV screening and linkages to care and treatment focused on African American, Latino/a and other racial/ethnic minority communities in their states. Link here to view the Florida profile. Link here to view the Mississippi profile. Link here to view the Texas profile. back to top > NASTAD 2010 Surveys on Linkages to Care In order to monitor important trends in HIV testing activities, NASTAD has launched a series of brief, modular surveys to collect data regarding health department HIV testing programs. Some of the surveys will be revised versions of those that NASTAD has conducted in previous years. Others will explore new areas related to the role of health departments and HIV testing. NASTAD is currently gathering data on health department activities associated with implementation of routine HIV testing in health care settings pursuant to CDC's Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings and will soon release surveys on both rapid testing and HIV testing in dental care settings. These modules will be followed by a survey which will examine health department efforts to support linkages to care. back to top > Acknowledgements The NASTAD Prevention Bulletin is written and edited by NASTAD staff in collaboration with prevention experts from around the country. This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number IU62PS001782-01 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NASTAD welcomes feedback: please e-mail us at NASTAD@NASTAD.org. |
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Credits, Feedback and Input The NASTAD Prevention Bulletin is edited by NASTAD staff and is written by staff and prevention experts from around the country. This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 5U62PS323958-05 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you have an idea or program that you would like to include in the Bulletin, please contact Lynne Greabell (202/434-8090). NASTAD welcomes feedback to issues presented in Bulletin. To submit commentary, please e-mail us at NASTAD@NASTAD.org. Electronic versions of the Bulletin are available on our webpage. |
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