Virginia Department of Health – Division of HIV, STD, and Pharmacy Services – E-Bulletin, July 2005
Virginia Department of Health
Division of HIV, STD, and Pharmacy Services
Electronic Bulletin
July 2005
Community Services
o The Division is hosting its annual Core Strategies for Street and Community Outreach training, July 18-21 at the Sheraton Park South in Richmond. This training is designed to assist outreach specialists in becoming more effective and productive in engaging potential clients in meaningful dialogue about HIV prevention, risk reduction, resources available and referrals for services. The registration deadline is July 6. You may request a registration packet from Robin Hurdle at (804) 864-8008 or robin.hurdle@vdh.virginia.gov, or from Marquietta Alston at (804) 864-8006 or marquietta.alston@vdh.virginia.gov. Don’t miss out on this training!
o Coming August 16-19: Healthy Relationships training. The Division will host, for the first time, a four-day training on this effective intervention endorsed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an intervention for men and women infected with HIV. Healthy Relationships is one of the curricula under the Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBI) program. If you would like more information about this intervention or other DEBIs, please visit www.effectiveinterventions.org. To request a registration packet, contact Marquietta Alston at (804)864-8006 or marquietta.alston@vdh.virginia.gov, or Ted Heck at (804) 864-8012 or ted.heck@vdh.virginia.gov. Space is limited. The registration deadline is July 28th.
Health Care Services
o The current version of the 2004 Statewide Coordinated Statement of Need (SCSN) can be found on the Ryan White CARE Act page on the VDH website: www.vdh.virginia.gov/std/ryanwhite.asp. Recent changes in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) requirements for the SCSN delayed the release of the report. Based on feedback from stakeholders, the current version has been made available to facilitate compliance with HRSA’s expectation that all Ryan White CARE Act funding applicants demonstrate consistency with the current SCSN. Additions to the document will be made as appendices in order to comply with HRSA’s new SCSN requirements. These appendices will be posted to the website as they are completed. Hard copies of the SCSN are available by request to Ben.Alonso@vdh.virginia.gov. The SCSN will also be included with the Epidemiology Profile distributed via CD anticipated to be available in early July.
o Recent changes to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP): Voriconazole (Vfend) has been added to the ADAP formulary for the treatment of resistant candidiasis and invasive aspergillus. A Medication Exception Form is required documenting use for one of these conditions. Peginterferon-alfa 2b (Peg-Intron), which is used for the treatment of Hepatitis C infection, is currently available free of charge to ADAP and its clients from the manufacturer, Schering Plough. Other changes to the formulary include the removal of hydroxyurea (Hydrea), which is no longer included in national treatment guidelines. In addition, access to zalcitabine (Hivid), amprenavir (Agenerase), and oral ganciclovir (Cytovene) has been limited to clients currently on these medications, since more effective treatment alternatives are available through ADAP.
ADAP eligibility has been expanded as a result of a change in federal policy that now gives veterans who meet all other ADAP eligibility criteria the option of accessing covered medications through ADAP. To obtain a medication exception form, to access peginterferon-alfa 2b (Peg Intron), or if you have questions about ADAP, please contact Faye Bates, RN, VDH ADAP Coordinator at (804) 864-8019 or Faye.Bates@vdh.virginia.gov.
Health and Research Informatics
o The Principal Investigator’s meeting for the CDC-funded Outcomes Assessment through Systems of Integrated Surveillance (OASIS) grantees was held in Atlanta, GA from June 15-17, 2005. Jennifer Bissette, the Division’s OASIS coordinator, provided an overview of Virginia’s enhanced surveillance activities. She also presented information pertaining to a national GIS/confidentiality survey which Virginia developed and administered to all 65 STD project areas on behalf of the OASIS project. Jeff Stover, Director of Health and Research Informatics, led discussions and presented information pertaining to the development of a Best Practices in STD Confidentiality guidance document for STD programs at the state and local level.
o A new link has been added to the Division’s “Data and Statistics” web page. The link is called Data Requests www.vdh.virginia.gov/std/DataRequests.asp and was designed to provide information related to data requests for the wide range of potential requestors, including health care professionals, community organizations and the general public. The site also includes contact information related to media requests for HIV/STD statistics in Virginia, a checklist of required elements for most data requests, a sample routine data request layout and links to online reports. A fillable PDF document is available for non-routine data requests.
o On June 13th, a one-day geographic information systems (GIS) training was held for public health professionals in the state. Chris Delcher, the Division’s Analysis, Visualization and Reporting Coordinator, assisted in conducting the training. GIS is currently used by the Division to map and analyze disease trends, target outreach activities, assist in program planning initiatives, and more. Positive feedback was received from participants. More advanced GIS training will be conducted for relevant VDH staff in the coming months.
o The Division has compiled an updated series of guidelines and relevant documentation for use as an informational resource for health care professionals. It will be available on compact disc (CD) in early July. The first CD with this type of information was released in 2002. However, the 2005 update includes additional documentation, including the 2004 Statewide Coordinated Statement of Need, Intensive Street Outreach in Virginia: Outcome Study Findings, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program Formulary, and HIV/STD trends. Also included on the CD are the 2002 CDC STD Treatment Guidelines, the Division’s HIV/AIDS Resource and Referral Guide, the current HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Profile, and more. Please send requests for a copy of the CD to Carol Morin at carol.morin@vdh.virginia.gov or (804) 864-7967. Be sure to include your name, health care affiliation and address for mailing purposes.