HIV/AIDS Activities
PDF Files Require Acrobat Reader | DownloadThe Arkansas Minority Health Commission, in partnership with the Arkansas Minority HIV/AIDS Task Force has organized the HIV Prevention Coalition. The Coalition collaborated with various agencies across Arkansas to include faith-based, community-based, and AID Service organizations. The goal of this Coalition is to foster primary prevention activities in the State of Arkansas targeting high-risk population who are not infected with HIV. These groups include African-American women, youth, and the Hispanic population. Although these communities are our primary focus, our efforts are not limited to these groups. In December 2008, the Coalition organized activities in conjunction with World AIDS Day, which focused on the primary target populations.
Arkansas HIV/AIDS Minority Task Force
Act 842 of 2007
Executive Summary
House Bill 2615, sponsored by State Representative Willie Hardy, now Act 842 of 2007, created the Arkansas HIV/AIDS Minority Task Force. On January 9, 2008, Governor Mike Beebe appointed seventeen individuals from across the state of Arkansas, all actively involved in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS, to serve on the Task Force.
The Task Force, which holds monthly meetings, held its first meeting on March 10, 2008. During the months that followed, the Task Force heard presentations from a broad cross-section of individuals on the HIV/AIDS pandemic that has increasingly concentrated communities of color. The Task Force worked with five subcommittees to address the issues related to the continued rise of this dreaded disease and, conducted a series of public forums in all four (4) Congressional Districts collecting data, recommendations and comments from minority populations infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
This Task Force’s Final Report is timely in that it is being submitted three months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed startling new evidence regarding the HIV/AIDS pandemic in America. In August 2008, the CDC released information that there were over 56,000 new HIV infections in the United States in 2006. That number, based on new surveillance methods, was 40% higher than prior estimates. Women, African Americans and Hispanics continue to experience a disproportionate burden of this infection.
Since 1983, over 7,000 Arkansans have been diagnosed with HIV, 352 in 2007 alone. Arkansas has kept the pace with the national trend of HIV/AIDS and its ever increasing spread in minority communities. For example, the population of Arkansas is approximately 16% African American; however, 38% (AIDS) and 41% (HIV) of the total cumulative cases from 1989-2006 are African American
Act 842 of 2007 required specific recommendations for the Task Force to address. Within each of these required recommendations, the report provides and details additional recommendations, approaches, rationales and solutions for each.
Executive Summary and Taskforce Final Report - PDF
| Member of the HIV/AIDS Taskforce: | ||
| Name | Term Limit Expires |
Category |
| Rick Collins (Chairman) | 2011 |
Minority Community Based Advocacy or Service Provider |
| Dr. Michelle Smith (Co-Chair) | 2010 |
Minority Based Treatment |
| Johnny Adams | 2010 |
Hispanic Affected by HIV/Aids |
| Rueben Arana | 2010 |
Minority Community Based Advocacy or Service Provider |
| Carol Davis | 2010 |
Rural Health Dept w/high incidence |
| Chinetta Davis | 2012 |
AR Community Planning Group |
| (Vacant) | 2010 |
Other Affected by HIV/Aids |
| Sharen Lightsey | 2011 |
Faith Based Organization |
| Sylvana Niciteretse | 2011 |
African American Living w/HIV/Aids |
| Dr. Barbara Perry | 2012 |
AMDPA |
| (Vacant) | 2011 |
Minority Community Based Advocacy or Service Provider |
| Lupita Roy-Rasheed | 2012 |
Faith Based Organization |
| Vickie Gibbs-Scott | 2012 |
Dept. Of Health/HIV Division |
| Dr. Katherine Stewart | 2010 |
UAMS COPH |
| Jena Thomason | 2012 |
Hospice |
| Dr. Wallace "Al" Thomas | 2011 |
Medical Insurance Industry |
| Suzann Wilson | 2012 |
Nursing Home |
| Sue Worsham | 2012 |
Woman Affected by HIV/Aids |
| (Vacant) | 2013 |
Arkansas Minority Health Commission |
| Arkansas Minority Health Commission Technical/Administrative Support- Siobhan Traylor, Document Examiner II | ||
HIV/AIDS Outreach Initiative Grants
< archives
HIV Prevention Project
In preparation for the 2010 grant year, The Arkansas Minority Health Commission and the Arkansas Department of Health held an orientation on February 5, 2010. All grantees were invited and required to attend this orientation. During the orientation session the grantees were provided with various documents such as a bimonthly report template, a budget report template and a calendar for capacity building trainings.
The HIV Prevention Project Committee which is comprised of representatives from both the Arkansas Department of Health and the Arkansas Minority Health Committee were introduced and each was identified to the organization to which they will serve as Program Officer.
There were two trainings which occurred during this reporting period HIV 101, and the Program Evaluation Monitoring System (PEMS) training. Each grantee was required to attend both trainings. They were presented with basic information about HIV and the current trends. The PEMS training, which is required by the CDC, providing information on how to track all prevention work completed by community based organizations, faith based organizations and other organizations doing prevention work. Each funding entity will easily be able to track all completed HIV prevention work across the state.
The 2010 HIV Prevention Project
The purpose of this grant is to reduce new HIV infections in Arkansas. The funding period is January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2010. This Request for Applications (RFA) represents a unique and novel collaborative effort by the Arkansas Department of Health and the Arkansas Minority Health Commission to foster a statewide coordinated effort to more effectively combat HIV/AIDS in Arkansas. This effort combines the strengths of the individual organizations to reach those most at risk for HIV/AIDS infection. We collectively believe that this effort will lead to an increased statewide response to this epidemic and ultimately lead to fewer Arkansans contracting HIV/AIDS, better health care and quality of life of those living with HIV/AIDS.
The 2010 HIV Prevention Project will focus on three areas:
- HIV Testing and Counseling
- Prevention for Positives
- Prevention based on current modes of transmission
There will be a total of $600,000 ($350,000 from ADH and $250,000 from AMHC) available for
funding from the Grantors for 12-month grants/sub-grants beginning January 1, 2010, and ending December 31, 2010.
2010 HIV Grantees
Alliance of Community Health - Provides gender relevant and culturally sensitive social skill training to reduce high risk behavior by heterosexual women and community mobilization program to reduce unintended pregnancy and HIV in Bradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Miller, Ouachita, and Union counties.
Arkansas Human Development Corporation - Targets the Arkansas Hispanic/ Latino Community in Benton, Faulkner, Garland, and Pulaski counties who are at high risk for HIV infection. Major goals include: increasing knowledge about how the disease can be transmitted and how it can be prevented. The program also strives to increase the number of Hispanic/Latino males and females receiving HIV/AIDS testing and counseling services and to refer these populations to available HIV and related health and human services providers.
Centers for Youth and Families - Provides HIV prevention programming to approximately 500 high-risk pregnant and parenting teenagers in Chicot, Desha, Jefferson, Lincoln, Polk, Pulaski, Searcy, and Van Buren counties.
Future Builders - Addresses HIV/AIDS in the homeless population. It provides HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention sessions coupled with HIV screenings based on the Health Belief Model in Pulaski County.
Jubilee Christian Center - Targets African American teenage girls ages 14-16 utilizing peer-led evidence based intervention known as Sistering, Informing, Healing, Living and Empowerment (SIHLE). The intervention is aimed at reducing risky sexual behaviors among African American heterosexual adolescent females in Jefferson County.
HIV/AIDS Prevention Coalition
The Arkansas Minority Health Commission, in partnership with the Arkansas Minority HIV/AIDS Task Force has organized the HIV Prevention Coalition. The Coalition is made up of various representing agencies; the Arkansas Department of Health, UAMS College of Public Health, Jefferson Comprehensive Care System, INC., the Center for Healing Hearts and Spirits, PARK, a recreational center, St. Mark Baptist Church, STAND News, and the Arkansas AIDS Foundation. The Coalition held its first meeting in August of 2008 and immediately started planning events around World AIDS Day. The goal of this Coalition is to focus on high risk target audiences who are not infected with HIV. These groups include African-American women, the youth population and the Hispanic population.
HIV/AIDS Prevention Coalition archive
The AMHC and ADH partnered on two symposiums; in LR (Future Builders) and Jonesboro (ASU – Dr. G. Rahill) to educate the public regarding HIV/AIDS prevention, reduction and eventual elimination. More than 1000 balloons (provided by the Black AIDS Institute and AMHC) were released across the state at 6 locations representing each Congressional District. Hear the balloon release in NW Arkansas sponsored by the Community Health Clinic and excellent interview about the need for additional state resources and prevention/education programming to address HIV/AIDS in the state;
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuaf/news.newsmain/article/6306/0/1583848/LOCAL.HEADLINES
/Community.Clinic.Releases.Balloons.Honor.of.World.AIDS.Day
Compassion Sunday was sponsored at 25 churches across the state on Sunday, November 29th! And there were 6 essay/poster winners (see photos). Sheryl Lee Ralph’s performance was entertaining, very well attended and created a call to action uniquely presented.
