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Contributing to Ending the HIV Epidemic

Federal Initiative

The focus of the federal EHE initiative is reducing new HIV infections.

The federal Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE) initiative is focused on significantly reducing new HIV transmissions so that the epidemic begins to shrink. The goal is to reduce the number of new infections by 75 percent within five years, and then by at least 90 percent within 10 years. The MWAETC is essential to assuring that the region’s health care workforce has the clinical competency, cultural awareness, and commitment to enact the 4 Pillars of the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative:

Diagnose
The MWAETC builds capacity for expanding HIV screening, reducing stigma, and improving linkage to care. The goal is for as many people as possible to be diagnosed as early as possible.
Treat
The MWAETC provides training, clinical consultation, and mentorship to both new and experienced providers. The goal is rapid entry into care, retention, and achieving durable viral suppression.
Prevent
The MWAETC provides training and consultation on biomedical prevention interventions, harm reduction, and bias and stigma reduction.
Respond
The MWAETC partners with health departments and others to address new HIV clusters and prevent new infections.

The MWAETC plays an essential and unique role in ending the HIV epidemic in our 10-state region, which includes Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and states in the mountain plains region of the US.

MWAETC’s Contribution to Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) in King County

King County is the sole EHE jurisdiction in the MWAETC region. The MWAETC is working hand in hand with the Public Health Seattle-King County (PHSKC) to coordinate efforts and maximize impact. The MWAETC participates in County EHE Healthcare Advisory Group and has consulted with PHSKC in developing our plans. The MWAETC is collaborating with long-time partner African Americans Reach and Teach Health (AARTH)  on addressing health inequities that contribute to the impact of the HIV epidemic.

MWAETC EHE Priorities

  • Increasing King County workforce capacity to effectively engage populations that are suffering the greatest disparities in accessing HIV preventive and diagnostic
  • Addressing  underlying social determinants of health, cultural factors, and comorbidities that contribute HIV prevention and suppression disparities
  • Assuring that experienced HIV care providers in the county have access to cutting edge information on evolving HIV treatment and prevention modalities (e.g. long acting ARVs, new medication classes), up-to-date federal guidelines, and technical assistance for implementing integrated models of care.

MWAETC Focus Areas

Pillars 1 and 3 Diagnose/Prevent

The MWAETC will provide training and technical assistance and engage non-traditional sites such as:

  • behavioral health organizations
  • permanent supportive housing programs
  • pharmacies
  • CBOs and clinics serving men who have sex with men (MSM) and transwomen of color, and
  • dental clinics

in providing HIV prevention (PrEP) and diagnostic services (HIV/Hep C/Hep B screening) within their programs.

Pillar 2 Treat

Under this pillar the MWAETC will provide training, technical assistance, and clinical consultation to help providers with:

  • Increasing capacity to address bias and social determinants of health
  • Increasing capacity to deliver trauma informed care
  • Increasing treatment integration, with an emphasis on substance use
  • Improving continuity of care for individuals with criminal justice involvement
  • Keeping knowledge current on evolving treatment and biological prevention modalities and federal treatment guidelines and recommendations

Our goal is to increase the numbers of health care professionals in King County who provide inclusive, high quality care and treatment throughout all phases of the HIV care continuum and achieve positive health outcomes for all people with HIV in King County.

Pillar 4 Respond

MWAETC staff and faculty stand ready to partner with public health officials and medical and community-based providers to develop flexible responses to newly identified clusters of infection.

While only one county in the MWAETC region qualifies for receiving new resources during the first five years of the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, it is vital that HIV prevention, screening, diagnosis, and effective treatment are provided EVERYWHERE if we are to be successful ending the epidemic in our region.