Capacity Building and Technical Assistance for Health Departments

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advancing a High Impact Prevention approach to funding HIV surveillance and prevention for health departments in states, territories, and select cities. High Impact Prevention — using combinations of scientifically-proven, cost-effective, and scalable interventions targeted to the right populations in the right geographic areas to achieve a higher level of impact with every federal HIV prevention dollar. CDC is committed to supporting health departments and their funded community based organizations (CBOs) to using timely and accurate HIV data to guide the development and implementation the most effective HIV prevention strategies and navigate any changes introduced by the new funding approach. For more detailed information, see capacity building or contact CDC assigned staff.

Capacity Building Assistance (CBA) and Technical Assistance (TA) is the provision of information, technical assistance, technical consultation, training, or technology transfer for individuals and organizations to improve the delivery and effectiveness of HIV prevention services. CDC staff provides direct technical assistance and funds multiple organizations (CBA providers) to deliver services that will build the capacity of health departments and CBOs providing HIV prevention services. Capacity building is accomplished through partnership between CDC staff and national CBA provider organizations.

The scope of CBA services for health departments and their funded CBOs encompasses the culturally and linguistically appropriate packaging and dissemination of best programmatic practices and tools, provision of training and technical assistance, and facilitation of peer-to-peer mentoring and support among health departments. CBA services are aligned with the programmatic categories and HIV prevention activities as delineated in funding opportunity announcement PS18-1802: Integrated HIV Surveillance and Prevention Programs for Health Departments.

CBA services are also provided by the National Network of STD/HIV Prevention Training Centers, the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services (UCHAPS), and other CDC partners. The Capacity Building Assistance and National Network of Prevention Training Centers Services Directory provides further information about this cadre of CBA providers and their services.

CBA can be accessed by using the CBA Request Information System (CRIS) and the Training Events Calendar (TEC). CRIS is a web-based system used to submit and track CBA requests. CDC directly funded CBOs, health departments, and CBA providers can submit their request via CRIS. Health department funded CBOs and prevention planning groups should submit CBA requests through their state or local health departments funded by CDC. Non-funded community stakeholders and Native American jurisdictions may directly contact CBA provider organizations to request services. CRIS can be accessed at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/CRIS2009. TEC is a web-based application used to inform health departments, CBOs, and stakeholders about scheduled training and technical assistance activities including national, regional, and local training events; conferences; town hall meetings; and community mobilization events. Inquiries can be made at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/GEMS.

The Technical Guidance for HIV Surveillance, prepared by the CDC in collaboration with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), serves as a guide for managing state and local HIV surveillance reporting systems in the United States.  The Technical Guidance for HIV Surveillance is part of a continuing effort to provide current guidance for standards and best practices. CDC provides technical assistance to funded areas for the systematic collection, analyzation, interpretation, and dissemination of HIV data to characterize trends in HIV infection, detect active HIV transmission in a manner that is comprehensive, timely, accurate, and up-to-date.

The Technical Guidance for HIV Surveillance can be accessed at https://partner.cdc.gov/Sites/NCHHSTP/HICSB/Technical%20Guidance/Forms/AllItems.aspx or contact the HIV Incidence and Case Surveillance Branch at 404-639-2050 for access information.

Please consult with your Prevention Program Branch Project Officer and HIV Incidence and Case Surveillance Program Consultant or Epidemiologist to request capacity building assistance (CBA), technical assistance (TA), and/or CBA training and to discuss CBA/TA needs and resources.