For this year’s USCHA, with a primary emphasis on the South, we invite abstract submissions centered around a southern focus for all programmatic tracks listed below.
The HIV movement is not immune to the impact of racism. This track will discuss the impact of racism on (but not limited to) access to care and treatment, advocacy, leadership, and effective community engagement. We are also seeking abstracts that address race-specific and cultural strategies, and barriers and best practices in service delivery. Abstracts should highlight how to address the intersection of race/racism and other forms of prejudice and stigma. This track will focus on the value of diversity and inclusion in the HIV framework, and addressing systemic structures that prevent an equitable workforce. Special attention will be paid to an evaluation of implicit racial bias and solutions to reduce its impact.
Telehealth has always been an innovative access point for PrEP and HIV care. In the COVID Pandemic, this method has been used, almost exclusively, for care and provider access when non -emergent care is needed. This track seeks proposals that highlight successful implementation of Telehealth PrEP programs, new strategies for HIV care retention, patient to provider effectiveness, and technological improvements.
Biomedical HIV prevention has expanded options to stop the spread of the virus. This track will focus on PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis), Treatment as Prevention (TasP) and START (Strategic Timing of Anti-Retroviral Treatment). It will discuss the latest innovations, programs and targets in order to scale up biomedical HIV prevention programs at your agency, city or state.
This track will focus on federal agencies, state health departments and local CBOs’ plans to end the US HIV epidemic. We are seeking abstracts that address topics such as: targeted PrEP programs in key jurisdictions that are driving new diagnoses, best practices to achieve the tenets of the EHE initiative and getting PLWH to undetectable viral loads.
This track will primarily focus on consumers and what it means to live with HIV in America. People living with HIV (PLWH) are not a monolithic community and should not be treated like they are all the same. This track will also cover U=U, stigma, aging, empowerment, self-determination, the criminal justice system, advocacy, and building a PLWH movement. Additionally, this track seeks proposals that encourage a dialogue between providers with PLWH.
This track’s focus includes city, county, state and federal policies. It will examine policies that impact HIV prevention, healthcare, treatment, housing, research, syringe exchange and transgender policy. It will look at federal programs like the Minority AIDS Initiative, Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion, HOPWA and the Ryan White Care Act. What are the advocacy strategies to stop the criminalization of HIV transmission, increase state and federal appropriations, fund HIV research, prevention, healthcare, and to end the epidemic?
Reconociendo la importancia de la accesibilidad al lenguaje, hemos creado este track completamente en español. A través de las presentaciones se estarán abordando las intersecciones entre COVID-19 y VIH para discutir las barreras y facilitadores hacia realizar pruebas, continuar esfuerzos de prevención y el contínuo de cuidado necesario para acabar con ambas epidemias.
Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. TIC also emphasizes physical, psychological and emotional safety for both consumers and providers, and helps survivors rebuild a sense of control and empowerment. HIV, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia are all possible causes of trauma. USCHA seeks abstracts that address how trauma-informed care ultimately results in increased retention in HIV care.
Today in the field of HIV, there are new and exciting forms of medication delivery being studied and evaluated for efficacy in the forms of long-acting implants and injectables. It is imperative that equitable education and awareness regarding new research for HIV and associated illnesses reach highly-impacted populations. Through the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, funding has been set aside for the Centers for AIDS Research (CFARs) to help achieve equitable community preparation for new research.