EHE Jurisdictions Support Innovative HIV Prevention Approaches

As part of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative, the 57 prioritized jurisdictions are undertaking a variety of innovative approaches under the initiative’s Prevent pillar, focusing on preventing new HIV transmissions. As the initiative begins its fifth year, members of the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy’s (OIDP) EHE and Engagement Teams have recently visited several jurisdictions to learn more. Below are just a few of the innovative Prevent pillar activities they learned about that may be useful models for other jurisdictions to consider.

Kentucky Engages College-Age Youth through Partnerships with the Divine Nine

Kentucky’s EHE program is implementing innovative youth outreach efforts, including via a collaboration with the Divine Nine historically Black sororities and fraternities at local colleges. These partnerships use a status-neutral approach to expand HIV testing and linkage to prevention or care services. Working across several college campuses, the services reach youth with information that they may use now if they are sexually active or that that they may use later. By offering HIV testing—with the president of one university getting a test as a role model—they hope to reach some first-time testers and increase their willingness to test again later in life if/when appropriate for them. They also have successfully engaged some young people in PrEP use.

Sexual Health Education for Justice-Involved Youth in Dallas

As part of a focus on HIV prevention among youth, the Dallas County (Texas) EHE programExit Disclaimer has implemented a sexual health education program tailored to meet the needs of the residents at Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center. This program aims to empower detained youth with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions about their sexual health and well-being. The EHE health educators conduct weekly, hour-long interactive sessions with the residents, creating a safe space for participants to ask questions and share their experiences and eventually act as a catalyst to improve sexual health outcomes in justice-involved youth. HIV testing services are also provided.  

Arkansas Educates Health Care Providers about PrEP

One of Arkansas’ innovative EHE Prevent pillar activities that OIDP staff learned about was the Strilite Foundation’s work to expand awareness and knowledge of PrEP among healthcare providers in the state, particularly in rural areas. These efforts to increase the number of providers offering PrEP services complement the foundation’s own PrEP outreach and services. Through collaborations with the state’s AIDS Education and Training Center and LGTBQ advocacy agencies, the foundation also assists healthcare providers and health departments to reduce stigma by creating more welcoming service environments. The foundation also connects healthcare providers with people with lived HIV experience who serve as liaisons between providers and patients seeking PrEP or other HIV services.

The EHE Initiative

The activities discussed in this post are just three examples of the many innovative approaches being taken by partners working in each of the 57 prioritized jurisdictions to scale up four science-based strategies: diagnose, treat, prevent, and respond. The jurisdictions receive additional funding and technical assistance from CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention, HRSA’s Health Center Program and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to implement locally tailored plans to reduce new HIV transmissions by 90% by 2030. NIH and IHS also support complementary activities. OIDP supports these efforts through community engagement and information sharing by its EHE and Engagement Teams, as well as by sharing information on HIV.gov and managing the AHEAD Dashboard. To learn more about the EHE initiative, visit HIV.gov’s EHE section. Read more about OIDP’s Engagement Team.