Contra Costa County AIDS Program

Name

Institution

 

Contra Costa County AIDS Program

The Contra Costa County developed a comprehensive HIV prevention plan in September 2008. The program was designed to guide the County on HIV/AIDS prevention tactics (Contra Costa County AIDS Office, 2015). The prevention program targeted six priority populations. Out of the six, the first three received more attention. The three include African Americans, Men Who Have Sex with other Men (MSM), and Injection Drug Users (IDUs) and Persons Who Share Needles (PWSNs). The three primary goals of the program include the substantial reduction of new HIV infections, the increased awareness around HIV/AIDS, and continuous improvement of HIV prevention efforts. The program designed concrete measures for African Americans considering that they were the high-risk population. Measures targeting African Americans include increased testing for HIV and Hepatitis C virus, provision of effective HIV prevention services, and increasing the capacity of the county’s anti-drug authority. Capacity-building aims at bettering service delivery to African-American men at significant risk of contracting the virus.

The program has recorded greater success in its effort to reduce HIV infections, especially among IDUs. In 2007, this group accounted for 16.2% of all persons living with HIV/AIDS, but by 2011 this number had decreased to approximately 12.2% (Contra Costa County AIDS Office, 2015). However, rates of HIV infection among MSM increased from 60.9% of all persons living with HIV/AIDS in 2007 to 65.3% in 2011. Additionally, there was a dramatic rise in HIV infections among young people between the age of 13 and 29. Reduced funding has hampered the program as a result of the 2009-10 California’s budget crisis. The crunch saw the then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminate more than $59 million in state funds from the Office of AIDS (California Department of Public Health, 2013). This reduction had a severe effect on HIV-related services and programs, including testing, surveillance, and early intervention practices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

California Department of Public Health. (2013). California’s Intergrated HIV Surveillance, Prevention, and Care Plan. Office of AIDS. Retrieved from http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/aids/documents/integratedplan.pdf

Contra Costa County AIDS Office. (2015). Contra Costa County AIDS Program: Contra Costa County HIV Prevention Plan Update 2012-2015. Retrieved October from http://cchealth.org/aids/pdf/HIV-Prevention-Plan-Update-2012-2015.pdf