Word on the Street: What You Should Know from Community  | January/February 2018
"Word on the Street" is disseminated monthly to inform CAPS/UCSF PRC of new developments, issues, programs, policy agendas, etc. that are happening in, affecting, and are of interest to the community. 
  In This Issue
  1. Fast Track to Zero Initiative
  2. Alameda County HIV Care and Prevention Unit
  3. California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS (CDPH, OA)
  4. Oakland TGA Planning Council (OTGA-PC)
  5. San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council (HCPC)
  6. Report - PrEP Uptake Disparities among Medicaid Beneficiaries
  7. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) Event – Notes from the Field
  8. National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD) Event
Fast Track to Zero Initiative
The Oakland’s Fast Track City Initiative (FTCI) and Alameda County’s Getting to Zero (GTZ) Initiative merged to integrate existing and planned workgroups, as well as centralize communications, meeting announcements, etc. The group in now called the Fast Track to Zero Initiative (FTZ).
 
To learn more contact Marsha Martin mmartingso@gmail.com or Jennifer (Phoenix) Smith Jennifer.smith@acgov.org

To sign on, email Jennifer.smith@acgov.org
Alameda County HIV Care and Prevention Unit
Alameda County Public Health Department, Office of AIDS Administration is now called the Office of HIV Care and Prevention to better reflect its mission and work.

Mission – to reduce the number of new HIV infections and to ensure those who are infected are connected to quality health care.
California Department of Public Health Office of AIDS (CDPH–OA)
Highlights/takeaways include:
 
CDPH-OA reported the following at the San Francisco EMA HIV Community Planning Council (HCPC) and/or the Oakland Transitional Geographic Area Planning Council (OTGA-PC) meetings.
 
Legislation
  • CA Senate Bill 239 took effect January 1, 2018, modifying penal laws where HIV transmission has had higher punishment than laws for transmission of other communicable diseases. Read more here (PDF).
  • CA Assembly Bill 2640 took effect January 1, 2018, requiring medical providers & people administering HIV tests to inform high risk individuals about PrEP and PEP. Read more here (PDF).
Oakland TGA Planning Council (OTGA-PC): Alameda County (AC) and Contra Costa County (CCC)
The Oakland TGA HIV/AIDS Collaborative Community Planning Council (CCPC) changed its name to Oakland TGA Planning Council (OTGA-PC) and has a new look. http://hivccpc.org

Highlights/takeaways from the February 2018 meeting:

Steven Gibson, previously with Magnet Clinic in SF and CDPH-OA as the HIV Prevention Branch Chief, now works for AC where he oversees prevention services

CCC is pilot testing the FDA-approved Alere Determined rapid test, now offered by the State OA. The test identifies HIV earlier than current anti-body-only test so individuals can seek care sooner

Since implementing RAPID protocol in clinics and in the HIV program in 2016, CCC has seen linkage to care improvements(n=104)
  • Median days linked to care: 11 (2016) vs. 7 (2017)
  • Median days between HIV dx and 1st ART prescription: 26 (2016) vs. 17 (2017)
  • Median days between HIV dx and 1st VL <200: 74 (2016) vs. 59 (2017)
San Francisco EMA HIV Community Planning Council (HCPC): San Francisco City and County, Marin County, San Mateo County 
U=U campaign is adopted by CDC and SF GTZ. There is concern that the campaign needs to be promoted more throughout the city

An estimated 22,500 people inject drugs in SF and drug overdoses are increasing. A Presentation on safe infection sites (SIS) reports benefits for HIV and related issues, including
  • ↓ HIV cases
  • ↓ Hep C cases
  • ↑ PWID entering treatment

SFDPH Project Pride “PrEP Supports” Campaign developed by community members and 510media has officially gone live https://askaboutprep.org/ . The goal of the campaign is to increase PrEP awareness, knowledge and Uptake among Black and Latino MSM and Trans Women of Color
PrEP Uptake among Medicaid Beneficiaries 
A new study funded by the California HIV/AIDS Research Program finds sharp differences in PrEP uptake by age, gender, race/ethnicity and geographic region among beneficiaries of California’s Medicaid program. Read key findings and access to both full reports here: chprc.org .
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) “Breaking the Silence” Notes from the Field 
On February 7 th , San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and multiple other sponsoring organizations came together with community to commemorate NBHAAD and discuss HIV in San Francisco among the Black community, and specifically among women.

Event takeaways:
  • New cases of HIV are decreasing in SF except for cases among Black men “MSM” and women, which are increasing 
  • Prior strategy to address HIV among women was “trickle down” i.e., address among men who women are likely get HIV from. The new strategy includes a systems approach and to address structural issues.
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD) Event 
In commemoration of Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, on March 8, 2018, 6-8 pm, Bridge HIV, EBAC, and Alameda County Public Health Department will co-sponsor a community forum at Mills College, Student Union, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA.
If you have questions or need more information, please contact Barbara:
Barbara Green-Ajufo, DrPH, MPH
Research Partnership Manager
Community Engagement (CE) Core
Phone: (415) 476-6362
Quick Links
The mission of  Center for AIDS Prevention Studies  is to end the HIV epidemic and associated health and social disparities by conducting high impact HIV prevention science and building capacity among researchers and communities to effectively address HIV.  Grant #: 2P30MH062246
The mission of the  UCSF Prevention Research Center  is to maintain an interdependent network of community, academic, and public health partners to design and implement prevention research aimed at answering significant and innovative HIV research questions and promoting the wide use of practices proven to promote health for those infected and affected by HIV.  Grant #: 5U48DP004998