Ryan White 2012 Grantee Meeting

The Houston EMA has conducted joint planning activities between HIV prevention and care since 2002; however, when the guidance for 2012 Comprehensive HIV Plans was released last year, separate plans for prevention and care were still in place. The expectations of 2012 Part A/B Plans, our history of joint planning, and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy’s call for increased collaboration all set into motion Houston’s first-ever joint comprehensive plan. By the end, 111 individuals (27% PLWHA) and 61 agencies contributed to the document, and all grantees and Planning Bodies concurred. The plan itself includes integrated goals, objectives, strategies, and benchmarks. This workshop will describe the process, outcomes, and “lessons learned” from creating the EMA’s first joint comprehensive HIV prevention and care plan. It will present a model for replicating a joint process in other jurisdictions and describe the effectiveness of various engagement strategies with consumers and stakeholders.

Learning Objectives:

• The overall process for developing a joint comprehensive HIV prevention and care services plan will be described as well as outcomes in terms of (1) integrating mission, vision, goals, objectives, and strategies; and (2) participation levels among consumers, partners, and other community stakeholders.
• Participants will be able to list at least three effective strategies for engaging and retaining consumers, partners, and other community stakeholders in a joint comprehensive HIV planning process as determined by the results of a post-process engagement survey and a Planning Council member’s perspective on the process.
• Participaints will be able to identify joint HIV prevention and care benchmarks for use in measuring systems improvements and monitoring progress in plan implementation, including how alignment in goals, objectives, and activities with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and other local, regional, State, and national plans and initiatives was ensured and coordinated.