Eliminating perinatal HIV through inclusive collaboration (epic) - the proposed project will use citymatch's extensive network to establish and maintain a national resource center, convene a task…

Eliminating perinatal HIV through inclusive collaboration (epic) - the proposed project will use citymatch's extensive network to establish and maintain a national resource center, convene a task force for the elimination of perinatal HIV (phiv), and disseminate educational resources for phiv, congenital syphilis (CS), and other perinatal infections. We will bring together clinical, community, and public health experts and form a steering council of 15 phiv and CS leaders, 40+ task force members, including representatives from different areas of phiv and congenital syphilis (CS) prevention and elimination, and a stakeholders group, including 150+ multidisciplinary professionals from a wide range of organizations. Drawing from our history and mission of promoting health equity, we will ensure that the voices of people living with HIV help drive the work of the task force and inform HIV and STI educational resources. These resources will be broadly disseminated to MCH and HIV clinical and public health professionals nationwide. This project will meet short term and intermediate outcomes. Short term outcomes include: 1. Increased awareness of clinical and public health professionals regarding strategies to achieve and maintain elimination of phiv and the prevention of CS in the U.S., including approaches to prevent HIV among reproductive-age people and optimize pre-pregnancy health for people with HIV; 2. Increased availability of technical assistance (TA) and capacity building to improve phiv and CS care and prevention systems. Utilize aspects of the framework for the prevention of CS, and if additional funds become available, for the prevention of other perinatal infections and emerging perinatal health threats; 3. Increased use of culturally appropriate phiv and CS prevention resources to support health equity and reduce health disparities by race and ethnicity; and 4. Increased awareness and expertise among the HIV and STI prevention and treatment workforce regarding phiv and CS prevention and strategies to OP timize wellbeing of women with HIV, persons with perinatally acquired HIV, and women with syphilis. Intermediate outcomes include: 1. Increased expertise among clinicians and public health professionals to implement strategies to eliminate phiv and prevent CS; 2. Increased clinical and public health professionals implementing strategies to eliminate phiv and prevent CS and provide specialized and holistic health services with persons with perinatally acquired HIV; 3. Reduced annual phiv diagnoses in the U.S. To achieve phiv elimination goals, attain and maintain low numbers of new annual phiv diagnoses in the U.S., consistent with phiv elimination goals (