Partnerships

Today’s public health challenges require collaboration and coordination on the part of a wide variety of individuals, stakeholders, and partners. To meet these challenges, the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work with a wide range of constituents to create and sustain mutually beneficial strategic relationships to advance disease prevention and control. By doing so, NCHHSTP and our partners are able to accomplish more than any individual, organization, or institution can by working alone.

Given both the distinctions and similarities associated with preventing and controlling HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB, NCHHSTP has created partnerships with a variety of mission critical stakeholders including (but not limited to):

• State and local health departments
• National medical associations
• Businesses
• Community-based organizations and grantees
• Faith-based organizations
• Advisory boards and committees
• Universities
• Media and entertainment industry

NCHHSTP divisions are currently and actively engaged in developing and expanding partnerships with these partners. Through collaboration and two-way information exchange, NCHHSTP benefits from unique insights shared by this diverse array of constituents, while partners benefit from NCHHSTP’s technical expertise. These strategic partnerships build synergy that accelerates all of our efforts to prevent, treat, and control our diseases of focus across all populations.

NCHHSTP’s Partnerships in Action

National Chlamydia Coalition

The Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP) and the National Chlamydia Coalition (NCC), funded by CDC, works with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) to highlight the chlamydia screening Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measure. The HEDIS indicator measures the proportion of sexually active females 16 to 20 years of age and 21 to 24 years of age who are screened for chlamydial infection annually. NCC leadership also work with quality control officers on ways to improve screening rates within their health plans and to develop sessions and content devoted to increasing chlamydia screening efforts led by health plan providers. The NCC has also updated Why Screen for Chlamydia: An Implementation Guide for Healthcare Providers, a widely-used resource targeted at physicians to guide them in encouraging chlamydia screening. Efforts also continue to link community providers to public health experts in STD at the state level.

Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative

Led by CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP), the Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI) is a $16 million, 6-year partnership between CDC and leading national organizations representing the populations hardest hit by HIV, and is a part of the its Act Against AIDS communication initiative. First launched in 2009, AAALI initially brought together some of the nation’s foremost African American organizations to intensify HIV prevention efforts in black communities. In 2010, CDC expanded AAALI to also include organizations that focus specifically on the Latino community and men who have sex with men (MSM) of all races.

Two AAALI partners, American Urban Radio Networks and the National Newspaper Association Foundation are part of CDC’s effort to promote HIV prevention awareness broadly, through AURN’s network of 300 radio stations and the NNAF’s nearly 200 African American community newspapers and publishers across the United States who regular receive HIV-related news articles and stories.

To learn more about AAALI and other AAALI partnerships visit: http://www.cdc.gov/actagainstaids/partnerships/index.html

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The Homelessness Initiative

NCHHSTP’s Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE) is collaborating with the Advisory Council for the Elimination of TB, the National TB Controllers Association, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, and several non-profit community-based and faith-based organizations to create a national strategic action plan to assist in preventing and controlling TB among people experiencing homelessness. The Division also partners with other federal agencies, including U.S. Housing and Urban Development, the Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Health Resources and Services Agency and their HIV/AIDS working group, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency to understand current practices of TB screening, increase awareness of TB infection and disease, and establish communication with health departments and other providers with the capacity to screen for and treat TB. Through these collaborative and mutually beneficial partnerships, DTBE works proactively to ensure successful identification and treatment of persons with TB disease and/or infection who are experiencing homelessness, which includes effective screening and seamless referral for public health services. To learn more about this partnership and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, please visit: www.nhchc.org

Viral Hepatitis Action Coalition

The Viral Hepatitis Action Coalition (VHAC) is a public-private partnership developed by the CDC Foundation to accelerate CDC’s efforts to prevent, control and ultimately eliminate viral hepatitis. Members of the Coalition are committed to helping CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis respond to important issues in the field; supporting crucial CDC-led research and program evaluation; and amplifying CDC’s messages to the public to increase overall awareness of viral hepatitis. The VHAC expands the capacity of the Division to launch new projects that are critically important to successfully preventing disease and deaths from viral hepatitis.

For more information:
http://www.viralhepatitisaction.org/
http://www.cdcfoundation.org/vhac

Project U

NCHHSTP’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) funds the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD’s) HIV/AIDS Prevention Unit to increase the number of students who receive prevention education for HIV and STDs. This district is the nation’s second largest with approximately 640,000 students; as well Los Angeles County reports that the HIV epidemic in their area disproportionately affects young men who have sex with men (YMSM), i.e., adolescents. To address this issue, LAUSD’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Unit together with CDC/DASH and others, created Project U to increase the percentage of LAUSD high school students who receive HIV/AIDS and STD prevention education, and—if the students are sexually active—to increase the percentage who use condoms and get tested for HIV and other STDs. Project U uses the latest technology to bring young people the information and services they need to make healthy choices for themselves and their relationships. This grassroots, student-driven, social marketing campaign links LAUSD students, both on and off campus, to on-demand text messages and Web sites for access to health information and services.

Learn more about LAUSD activities at Program Success Stories.