Program Contacts |
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Zach Levar Deputy Director 216.201.2000 ext 1512 zlevar@ccbh.net |
Brandy Eaton, BSN, RN Supervisor 216.201.2000 ext 1327 beaton@ccbh.net |
The Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative focuses on four key strategies that, implemented together, can end the HIV epidemic in the U.S.: Diagnose, Treat, Prevent, and Respond. Cuyahoga County was identified as one of the 57 priority jurisdictions in U.S. that account for more than half of new HIV diagnoses. The 10 year project aims to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by reducing transmission by 90% by 2030.
Access the full Cuyahoga County EHE Plan.
Diagnosing those with HIV as early as possible prevents individuals from unknowingly transmitting the virus to others. Proposed strategies in the diagnosis pillar focus on increasing access to testing for all community members by working across social service and health sectors to offer testing in a convenient and accessible way that meets people where they are.
Receiving treatment rapidly and effectively allows PLWH (People Living with HIV) to reach sustained viral suppression. As a person’s viral load becomes undetectable, it also becomes untransmissible. Strategies in the treat pillar focus on guiding PLWH into care and providing the support necessary to remain in care through medical care, support networks, peer support and meeting the basic need of housing.
Preventing new HIV transmissions will be essential to ending the HIV epidemic in Cuyahoga County. Five strategies have been proposed to prioritize the continuation of successful existing prevention activities expanding them as necessary, and to create new programs and opportunities for innovative and evidenced based practices to be implemented within the community.
Responding to HIV outbreaks requires connecting prevention and treatment services to people quickly and effectively. Effective outbreak response must be built on a plan that can be enacted rapidly with clear roles for each entity involved developed prior to an outbreak occurring. Ohio Department of Health and local public health departments, including Cuyahoga County Board of Health, are collaborating on outbreak response plans.
The eight strategies identified as vital to reaching the goals of ending the HIV epidemic in Cuyahoga County address both systems and individuals. While some may be fully realized within the five years of the plan, others are expected to be a continual process over many years that require collaboration with multiple sectors and planning processes. In some instances, they rely on larger cultural changes that appear to be underway.
America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD) supports this effort by tracking data on 6 HIV indicators that will have the greatest impact on ending the epidemic in local communities and across the U.S.
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