Cooperative Agreement NU62PS924668

BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE LET'S STOP HIV TOGETHER - THE BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE (BAI) SEEKS, IN RESPONSE TO CDC-RFA-PS21-2104, TO INCREASE HIV AWARENESS AND OWNERSHIP IN BLACK COMMUNITIES AND TO SPUR INCREASED UPTAKE OF PRIORITY BIOMEDICAL PREVENTION AND TREATMENT TOOLS. TOWARDS THIS OVERARCHING GOAL, BAI WILL DISSEMINATE CDC?S LET?S STOP HIV TOGETHER AT IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL EVENTS. AS PART OF THE PROJECT, BAI WILL ALSO LEVERAGE DIVERSE PARTNERS AND NETWORK (BOTH HIV AND NON-HIV-SPECIFIC, AND BOTH CDC-FUNDED AND NON-CDC-FUNDED) TO DISSEMINATE LET?S STOP HIV TOGETHER BROADLY ACROSS BLACK AMERICA. THIS PROJECT BUILDS ON BAI?S EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN EVENT PLANNING, CAMPAIGN PROMOTION, STATE-OF-THE-ART COMMUNICATIONS, AND PARTNERSHIP CULTIVATION AND COLLABORATION.WORKING WITH PARTNERS, BAI EACH YEAR WILL DISSEMINATE CAMPAIGN MESSAGES AND MATERIALS AT 10 IN-PERSON AND 10 VIRTUAL EVENTS ? ALL OF THEM FOCUSED ON STATES AND COUNTIES PRIORITIZED FOR ACTION TOWARD ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC (EHE). DRAWING ON ITS EXISTING WORKING RELATIONSHIPS, BAI WILL PRIORITIZE DISSEMINATION OF LET?S STOP HIV TOGETHER MESSAGES AND MATERIALS AT THE LARGEST NATIONAL AND REGIONAL GATHERINGS OF BLACK PEOPLE (E.G. ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL, AFROPUNK FESTIVAL), HOMECOMING WEEKENDS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, GATHERINGS OF NATIONAL BLACK FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES, AND BLACK PRIDE EVENTS. IN YEAR 1, BAI WILL PILOT ITS APPROACH AT A MAJOR NATIONAL EVENT, USING LESSONS LEARNED AND EVALUATION FINDINGS TO ADAPT ITS APPROACH, AS NEEDED.BAI?S APPROACH TO DISSEMINATION OF CAMPAIGN MATERIALS AND MESSAGES WILL BE TAILORED TO EACH EVENT. FOR MAJOR NATIONAL EVENTS, BAI WILL SECURE AN EXHIBIT BOOTH, PLACE AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THE EVENT PROGRAM, AND CO-BRAND CDC MATERIALS FOR DISTRIBUTION AT THE EVENT. AT EACH EVENT VENUE, BAI WILL RECRUIT A LOCAL HIV SERVICE ORGANIZATION TO PROVIDE HIV TESTING SERVICES TO EVENT ATTENDEES. FOR EACH EVENT, BAI WILL WORK WITH THE EVENT SPONSOR TO MAXIMIZE THE DISSEMINATION OF LET?S STOP HIV TOGE THER MESSAGES, INCLUDING THROUGH PLENARY SPEAKERS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS TO EVENT ATTENDEES. BAI WILL DRAW ON ITS 20-YEAR RECORD OF EVENT PLANNING TO IMPLEMENT TARGETED PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS TO MAXIMIZE EVENT ATTENDANCE. BAI WILL WORK WITH CDC TO CO-BRAND LET?S STOP HIV TOGETHER MATERIALS AND LEVERAGE BAI?S IN-HOUSE DESIGN EXPERTISE TO DEVELOP DIGITAL DESIGN TEMPLATES FOR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. BAI WILL DEVELOP A DEDICATED WEB PAGE TO DRIVE BLACK AUDIENCES TO A SINGLE DESTINATION FOR ONGOING EVENTS INFORMATION, UPDATED MARKETING MATERIALS, AND ON-SITE EVENT VIDEOS AND PHOTOS. USING CDC MATERIALS AND BAI?S EVENT-SPECIFIC IMAGES ? AND LEVERAGING BAI?S SUBSTANTIAL AND RAPIDLY EXPANDING SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE ? BAI WILL PLACE FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE ADS TO PROMOTE EVENT ATTENDANCE. THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT, BAI WILL COLLABORATE WITH HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS, HEALTH PROVIDERS ASSOCIATIONS, AND A MIX OF HIV- AND NON-HIV SOCIAL MEDIA SPACES (E.G. SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES, INDIVIDUAL BLACK DIGITAL INFLUENCERS) TO PROMOTE EVENTS AND TO DISSEMINATE CAMPAIGN MESSAGES AND MATERIALS. BAI WILL EVALUATE AND REPORT ON PROGRESS TOWARD THE FOLLOWING PROJECT OUTCOMES:?INCREASE EXPOSURE TO CDC?S LET?S STOP HIV TOGETHER CAMPAIGN MATERIALS AND MESSAGES AMONG PEOPLE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY HIV, PEOPLE WITH HIV, AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.?INCREASE HIV-RELATED INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIORS AMONG PEOPLE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY HIV, PEOPLE WITH HIV, AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.?INCREASE PARTNER ENGAGEMENT WITH CDC?S LET?S STOP HIV TOGETHER MATERIALS AND MESSAGES.?INCREASE CROSS-COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR HIV PREVENTION, TESTING AND REFERRAL SERVICES.?INCREASE HIV-RELATED COMMUNICATION AMONG ENGAGED PARTNERS AND NETWORKS.