DC HIV Prevention Community Planning Group 4/12/2007 Meeting Update

HAA provided the CPG with a comprehensive budget, which provides information for how CDC and District-appropriated funds totaling approximately $3.1 million will be used during 2007. This funding, which reflects .08% of the DOH $1.7 billion budget, will be distributed according to the categories of prevention community planning; counseling, testing & referral (CTR); health education & risk reduction; capacity building and evaluation. Also included in the information provided to the CPG was a comparison of the amount of funding available during 2006 and 2007 and the list of the RFA funded groups and the amounts awarded to each organization.

The Executive Committee and HAA selected two CPG members, Darby Hickey and myself, to attend the HIV Prevention Leadership Summit in New Orleans (May 20-23), sponsored by National Minority AIDS Council (http://www.nmac.org/conferences___trainings/hpls/4690.cfm). At the conference the CPG members will receive additional training and will provide a report on the experience at a later CPG meeting. The Executive committee also proposed to new committees to the full CPG- Budget and Policy. The Budget committee will review the annual HAA budget in the interim progress report to the CDC to determine how well it reflects that priorities set out in the HIV Prevention Plan. Responsibilites of the Policy committee will include identifying policies and trends that affect HIV Prevention in the District and reporting those relative to the work and function of the CPG to the Executive committee.

At the last two meetings, the CPG engaged discussed contacting Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to urge her to meet with CDC officials regarding the release of "A Heightened Response to HIV/AIDs in the African-American Community." Many CPG members were disturbed by the lack of interventions in support of African-American women included in the report. The letter to be sent will ask her and Mayor Fenty to do their parts to ensure that DC gets its fair share of the $35 million that will be distributed amongst high incidence jurisdictions.

The next full committee meeting of the HIV Prevention Community Planning Group will be held on Thursday May 10, 2007 from 6:00PM-8:00PM at 64 New York Avenue, NE in the 5th floor conference room.