Project Grant TR753200

REGIONAL AIDS EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTERS PROGRAM - ADDRESS: THE ECHO INSTITUTE (ECHO) AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER: MSC09 5221, 1 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87131-0001 CONTACT: HSC-PREAWARD@SALUD.UNM.EDU, 505-272-9383 PROJECT DIRECTOR: TRACY JUNGWIRTH, MA WEBSITE: HTTPS://PROJECTECHO.UNM.EDU/ FUNDS REQUESTED: $4,740,000/YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS, TOTALING $23,700,000 ECHO AT UNMHSC WILL CONTINUE ITS WORK AS THE SOUTH CENTRAL AIDS EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTER'S (SCAETC) CENTRAL OFFICE (CO) TO INCREASE AND SUPPORT A WORKFORCE CAPABLE OF AND INTENDING TO PROVIDE CARE AND TREATMENT TO PEOPLE WITH HIV (PWH) OR AT-RISK OF HIV. AS THE CO FOR THE SOUTH CENTRAL REGION, WE WILL SERVE THE STATES OF ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, NEW MEXICO, OKLAHOMA, AND TEXAS. THE REGION IS COMPRISED OF DIVERSE AND RURAL STATES WITH A COMBINED POPULATION OF 44.3 MILLION PEOPLE. TWO STATES IN THE REGION HAVE LARGE AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE (AI/AN) POPULATIONS. NM HAS 23 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES AND OK HAS 39 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES. FOUR STATES IN THE SCAETC REGION ARE CONSIDERED PART OF THE SOUTHERN US AND ARE FACING THE MOST SEVERE CRISIS IN THE HIV EPIDEMIC, WITH THE GREATEST HIV BURDEN. MORE THAN 52% OF NEW HIV DIAGNOSES OCCUR IN SOUTHERN STATES, AND RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY POPULATIONS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED, IN PART DUE TO DISPARITIES IN ACCESS TO CARE AND SOCIAL SUPPORT. THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL REGION LIVE IN HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREAS (HPSAS) AND THE HIV WORKFORCE HAS BEEN SHRINKING. THE REGION HAS LARGE RURAL AREAS, WHERE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE IS A CHALLENGE. THE STATES OF OK AND AR ARE DESIGNATED AS STATEWIDE ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC (EHE) JURISDICTIONS DUE THEIR SUBSTANTIAL RURAL HIV BURDEN. THE REGION FACES SEVERE SOCIAL CHALLENGES, AND ALL FIVE STATES ARE AMONG THE TOP 10 POOREST STATES IN THE US. THIS IS SIGNIFICANT AS RESEARCH SHOWS THAT COMMUNITIES LIVING IN POVERTY ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY HIV AND FACE DISPAR ITIES IN ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE, PRIMARY CARE, HIV TESTING, PREP SERVICES, AND HIV CARE. PEOPLE WITH HIV ACROSS THE REGION FACE ISSUES IN SECURING STABLE HEALTH CARE, HOUSING, AND OTHER SOCIAL SUPPORTS. WE WILL COLLABORATE WITH NINE LOCAL PARTNERS AND NUMEROUS LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS TO FULFILL THE SCAETC GOALS THROUGH THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS: 1. PROVIDE RESPONSIVE AND RELEVANT CAPACITY AND EXPERTISE EXPANSION TRAINING AND EDUCATION TO THE HIV WORKFORCE TO BUILD THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AROUND HIV PREVENTION, TESTING, AND TREATMENT THROUGH A VARIETY OF LEARNING MODALITIES; 2. RECRUIT AND TRAIN HCPS NEW TO HIV CARE AND STUDENTS AT HEALTH PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS ON BEST-PRACTICE HIV CARE THROUGH FOUNDATIONS OF HIV TRAINING AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS; 3. ESTABLISH 13 PRACTICE TRANSFORMATION SITES (9IN YEAR 1 AND ONE ADDITIONAL SITE PER YEAR IN YEARS 2-5) TO SUPPORT CLINICS IN IMPLEMENTING PROCESS AND SYSTEM-LEVEL CHANGES TO IMPROVE THE PROVISION OF CARE AND TREATMENT TO PEOPLE WITH HIV AND THOSE AT RISK FOR HIV; 4. ESTABLISH TWO NEW HIV INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC JURISDICTIONS, TARGETED MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS; AND 5. BUILD THE CAPACITY OF MINORITY PROFESSIONALS AND MINORITY-SERVING PROFESSIONALS TO PROVIDE CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY CARE FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE MINORITY AIDS INITIATIVE. WE WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH RWHAP PARTS A - D AND F PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE REGION TO ASSESS NEEDS, GAPS IN TRAINING, AND DEVELOP TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO MEET THEIR NEEDS. WITH GUIDANCE FROM THESE PARTNERSHIPS, WE WILL REVIEW SURVEILLANCE DATA AND IDENTIFY EMERGING HIV CONCERNS, TRAINING NEEDS, AND RECRUIT TRAINEES WITH IDENTIFIED NEEDS IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES. THE CO AND LPS ALSO WORK CLOSELY WITH STATE AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO ENSURE THEIR TRAINING PLANS ALIGN WITH CORRESPONDING CITY, COUNTY, AND STATE HIV STRATEGIES, INCLUDING THE STATES' INTEGRATED PLANS.