HIV Prevention
More than $2,500,000 is provided annually to community-based organizations and health districts to support prevention and community-based HIV testing programs. The Division funds seven grant programs that target the priority populations identified by the Virginia HIV Community Planning Committee. Grant Programs Click on the links below for descriptions of each grant program.
Information for HIV Prevention Contractors Click on the links below for descriptions of these documents and links to them.
Grant Programs First funded in 1988, this program was reorganized in 2004 to expand services. Funds are provided to minority community-based organizations to conduct HIV prevention interventions to racial/ethnic minorities at increased risk for HIV infection. Projects are funded in nine localities with the highest HIV/AIDS morbidity among Black, Latino and Asian/Pacific Islander communities. AIDS Services and Education Grants This program is supported entirely through state funding and was created though an act of the Virginia General Assembly in 1989. These grants are intended to support outreach, innovative prevention interventions for hard to reach populations and supportive services for persons living with HIV. High Risk Youth and Adults Grants Funded in 1997, this grant program targets high risk youth including incarcerated youth, incarcerated adults, injecting drug users, people who exchange sex for money or drugs, and the homeless. It was created to address gaps in services identified through the community planning process. Men who have Sex with Men HIV Prevention Program Established in 1998, this grant program was created to address a significant disparity between the impact of the epidemic on gay and bisexual men and the amount of funding being targeted to this community. The program has been expanded twice since 1998 with supplemental funds. Populations targeted include racial/ethnic minorities, young men and men on the down low. African-American Faith Initiative Created in 1999, the project grew out of a public call for faith-based HIV programs in minority communities and a series of research and survey projects conducted the Virginia Commonwealth University Community Health Research Initiative on behalf of the Division and the Virginia HIV Community Planning Committee. Through a community-mobilization approach, religious institutions may use funds for clergy training and congregation education around HIV as well as mentoring of other churches in the development of HIV prevention and support programs. Community HIV Testing Services This grant program was established in 2001 to provide HIV antibody testing in outreach and non-invasive settings through community-based organizations. In 2006 this program was expanded to include rapid HIV testing in appropriate venues. The focus is on reaching men who have sex with men, injection drug users, the sexual partners of these populations, high risk heterosexuals and incarcerated persons. Primary Prevention With People Living with HIV This program, established in 2002, supports primary HIV prevention (prevention of new HIV infections) by working with HIV infected individuals. Comprehensive Risk Counseling and Services (CRCS) is provided to individuals identified as engaging in high-risk behaviors that may transmit HIV, or those with mental health, substance abuse or medication adherence difficulties. Additional strategies include group level interventions and individual counseling. |
For information on competing for these grant programs please see Funding Opportunities
Capacity Building , Technical Assistance and Training
The Community Services Units offers a range of services and workshops to enhance community-based organization infrastructure and delivery of evidence-based HIV prevention interventions.
Training in the following areas is offered periodically:
*Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBI) curriculum. For a full list of DEBIs and scheduled national training opportunities, see www.effectiveinterventions.org.
Community-based organizations funded by VDH to provide HIV prevention interventions may also access capacity building and technical assistance from a national network of providers through CDC’s Capacity Building Assistance Request Information System (CRIS). CRIS requests must be made through your VDH contract monitor.
Taxonomy and Intervention Standards
Funded agencies are expected to describe their interventions using the taxonomy of interventions developed by VDH and the HIV Community Planning Committee. Intervention standards, also developed with input from the Planning Committee, should be used as part of the quality assurance process for staff training, safety and delivery of interventions.
Creating a Common Vocabulary for Modifying a DEBI
This document outlines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on how Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Intervention (DEBI) curricula may be modified to be effective for a new population or risk behavior. It also describes the vocabulary associated with this process such as “adaptation” versus “tailoring.”
HIV Prevention Contractor Guidelines
These guidelines contain a broad array of information needed by contractors, including, but not limited to, staff contact information, the quarterly report format, information on PEMS, DEBIs and intervention standards, CDC requirements for materials approval, a sample budget format, and a variety of forms. Please see the table of contents for additional information.