HHS Releases Report on Progress Implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy

At the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) in Washington, DC today, Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, released a report (PDF 607KB) on the progress made in 2011 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in pursuing the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The report highlights key accomplishments from across the Department on all three of the NHAS goals as well as its call for a more coordinated national response to the HIV epidemic.

With progress highlights from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA), the Indian Health Service (IHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as well as the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), the report demonstrates the breadth of support the NHAS has garnered across the Department as well as considerable progress made across a diverse variety of activities.

The progress highlights documented in the report include many actions specifically detailed in the NHAS Federal Implementation Plan and the HHS NHAS Operational Plan. In several instances, they also reflect significant achievements that go beyond what the Strategy called for. The report, however, presents just a sampling of the myriad actions taken both independently and collaboratively by the Office of the Secretary and the HHS operating divisions and staff offices to pursue the Strategy’s vision and goals.

“As the report details, HHS made significant strides in implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy throughout 2011,” noted Dr. Koh. “That progress established a solid foundation for our ongoing efforts to pursue the NHAS vision and goals. In the coming months and years, it will be essential to sustain this momentum and continue to thoughtfully assess and innovate as well as engage, more intensively, various non-federal partners in these efforts, including partners from across sectors such as state and local government, science, philanthropy, entertainment and media, education, and faith communities."