Washington Post Article on 'New' Testing Initiative

On National HIV Testing Day Mayor Adrian Fenty and DOH head Greg Pane announced a new HIV testing plan without offering any additional information about the outcome of the last HIV testing plan.

The Washington Post reports:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and city health director Gregg A. Pane used National HIV Testing Day to announce the effort, which aims to boost by 25 percent the number of young people who know their HIV status. It will be one of several new undertakings, all of which target some of the city's most at-risk populations, and could force the often-criticized school system to implement a comprehensive, up-to-date HIV/AIDS curriculum.

While the focus on young people is encouraging, and the reference to comprehensive sexuality education is much needed, I still find myself wondering if we accomplished any of the goals we set with the last HIV testing plan. Where is the accountability? Even after the Washington Post filed a Freedom of Information Act Request to get this information, we are still in the dark.

The biggest challenge the HIV/AIDS Administration faces is not setting goals, it is meeting them. As I have been blogging this week, the challenge is getting from promises to performance. If there is no accountability for accomplishing the last plan, it's hard to imagine anyone will be held accountable for accomplishing this one.

While I would like to be optimistic, I can't help but wonder how this plan is any different from all the other plans that have fallen by the wayside.