The National Collaborative HIV/AIDS Awareness Project (NCHAAP) is part of the Indian Health Service’s (IHS) implementation plan to meet the three goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy in Indian Country for federally-recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations in the interest of improving Indian health care.
The goal of NCHAPP is to increase the capacity of Native communities to address HIV and AIDS. This will be achieved by creating strategic opportunities for Tribes and Tribal entities to access technical assistance and community-based prevention materials. Educational materials will be developed through comprehensive community input, all under the guidance and advice of the IHS HIV/AIDS Program. HIV epidemiology data (although limited) tells us that higher risk populations are men who have sex with men (MSM), injection drug users (IDU), and women. Community-level input tells us that prevention efforts should include youth, as well. NNAAPC aims to provide assistance to Tribal programs to focus on these 4 groups.
Specific programmatic activities include: 1) conducting a nation-wide assessment of HIV knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, 2) conducting forums with Tribal Leaders, 3) developing and disseminating innovative and targeted social marketing materials, 4) conducting professional level skills-building training events, 5) utilizing distance learning and web-based technologies for information sharing and dissemination of materials and 6) ensuring HIV/AIDS has a presence at national and regional Native conferences and meetings.
The National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC) is the only national, HIV-specific, Native organization in the United States. Founded in 1987, NNAAPC is recognized as the leading resource for HIV information in Indian Country by community members, federal funders, and other national Native organizations. NNAAPC has earned this reputation through high quality and culturally appropriate training, technical assistance, materials development, advocacy, and continuity of service.
As such, NNAAPC was selected by National Indian Health Board as a subcontractor, to operate the National Collaborative HIV/AIDS Awareness Project with funds designated by the Indian Health Service (IHS) HIV/AIDS Program. NNAAPC and NIHB have a long history of collaboration which is evidenced by an MOU that honors the expertise of NIHB in working for the health of tribal and reservation-based communities and the experience of NNAAPC in advancing the state of HIV/AIDS prevention amongst all Native peoples. To ensure project success, both organizations will bring to bear their specific resources, expertise, reach, and knowledge. NIHB has an extensive network and knowledge of tribal health systems and NNAAPC has the ability to assess, develop and implement effective and appropriate HIV prevention, treatment, and awareness programs.
For more information about the Indian Health Service HIV/AIDS Program, please visit:
http://www.ihs.gov/MedicalPrograms/hivaids/
For more information about the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, please visit:
http://nnaapc.org/
Fact Sheets on HIV/AIDS:
National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Act Sheet (PDF)
National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Fact Sheet (PDF)
On July 20-21, 147 representatives from 12 countries-- Canada, New Zealand, Guatemala, Mexico, Germany, Bolivia, Chile, Australia, Honduras, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and the U.S. -- convened at the Four Points Sheraton in Washington, D.C., for the 2012 International Indigenous Pre-Conference on HIV & AIDS. This two-day pre-conference was held in conjunction with the 19th International AIDS Conference.
The pre-conference, titled “To See and Be Seen,” set the focus on the global visibility of Indigenous peoples and the impact of HIV, and created a forum for participants to network, strategize and share HIV-specific knowledge. Other objectives included advancing knowledge of culturally appropriate HIV prevention activities, composing a document of lessons learned intended for government stakeholders, and developing a plan for the production of tools between Indigenous and non-Native entities.
Some of the conference highlights included:Pre-conference participants also worked together to construct a traditional teaching lodge in the lobby of the hotel. “Visioning Health – Positive Aboriginal Women’s Perceptions of Health, Culture and Gender” included poetry, photos and essays displayed inside the lodge.
The pre-conference was a component of the larger International Conference on AIDS which took place July 22-27 in Washington, D.C. The International Conference witnessed the largest and most prodigious Native presence of any previous International Conference on AIDS. There was an Indigenous Networking Zone that served as a dedicated space for Native presentations, talking circles, morning and evening ceremonies, art projects, and housed a full size teepee. This space played host to a panel presentation by Indian Health Service HIV/AIDS Program and IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux, with Stacy Bohlen, Executive Director of the National Indian Health Board, moderating. The National Native American AIDS Prevention Center also presented on harm reduction, substance use, gender, and social marketing during the week-long conference. For the first time, there was a conference presentation on HIV in Indigenous communities across the globe that included presentations by Marama Pala (Maori), Ken Clement (Ktunaxa First Nations), Clive Aspin (Maori), and Karina Walters (Choctaw).
Source: Matt Ignacio and Jamie Folsom, guest contributors from the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center
To learn more about the International Conference and Indigenous Pre-Conference on HIV & AIDS, or to view selected presentations from the conferences, please visit:
http://www.nnaapc.org/news/2012_conference_hub.htm
To help stop the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the Indian Health Service (IHS) supported the development of a Tribal HIV/STD Training Kit and Policy Guide. The training kit gives tribes and tribal organizations information on how to work with tribal council members, school boards, health directors, and other partnering programs on ways to prevent the transmission of HIV and STDs.
The training kit contains facts about sexual health, tools for assessing community readiness to implement a sexual health program, information to guide policy development, case studies of effective models for change, and additional resources to strengthen community sexual health activities and policies.
The kit also provides recommendations to American Indians and Alaska Natives on healthy lifestyle choices. Tribal health advocates can use the kit to guide discussions with tribal leaders and develop ideas for effective disease prevention strategies. The training kit can be downloaded from the IHS website at http://www.ihs.gov/hivaids/.
The training kit is a collaborative effort with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health Resource Center and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. It is being released in conjunction with the International AIDS Conference being held in Washington, D.C., the week of July 22.
In the latest post from the series "Notes on Health Insurance and Reform," Jen Kates, Vice President and Director of Global Health & HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, examines different insurance pathways for people with HIV and how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is expanding coverage options for this population. The post includes a series of infographics depicting these eligibility pathways prior to the ACA, after the ACA was enacted but before 2014, and as of 2014 and beyond.
All previous posts are also online. Additionally, you can subscribe to the columns and have them fed to your RSS reader.
Visit Kaiser Family Foundation website
The annual HIV Surveillance Report provides an overview on the current epidemiology of HIV disease in the United States and dependent areas. CDC funds state and territorial health departments to collect surveillance data on persons diagnosed with HIV infection; all personal identifiers are removed from these data before being transmitted to CDC via a secure data network. Data are analyzed by CDC and then displayed by age, race, sex, transmission category, and jurisdiction (where appropriate). Prior to the 2008 reporting year, the report was referred to as the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report. The report is published annually in late summer or early fall.*
For more information and to review the report, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/surveillance/resources/reports/2010report/index.htm
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2012. Statistics and Surveillance [Online] (2012) Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/index.htm [Accessed March 16, 2012].
2010 HIV Surveillance Report & Native Communities
To learn more about the 2010 HIV Surveillance Report and what this report tells us about HIV in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, please click on the following “Native Highlights” summary, provided by NNAAPC.
Native Highlights Summary (PDF)
Paul R. Allis, B.S.W, M. Ed
Director of Public Health
Blake Harper, MPH
Public Health Project Coordinator