| Welcome to Exclamation Point!, the Alive! Maryland Monthly Newsletter April 2023 Exclamation Point! is your straight-to-the-point monthly newsletter for Maryland's primary care and infectious disease workforce, brought to your inbox by Alive! Maryland. Each month we will feature key trainings and webinars, upcoming events, job opportunities, and other resources to help you in your work. We'll also highlight some of the impactful work and diverse perspectives of your colleagues across the State. In this issue: - Meet the Faces Behind the Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program
- Action Points: Upcoming Events
- Key Points: Featured Resources
- Job Openings
Want to spread the word about a job opening or funding opportunity from your organization? Know a special healthcare provider in Maryland who deserves the spotlight? Let us know by contacting info@AliveMaryland.org. Alive! Maryland is here to help you help Marylanders! | | | | |  | Meet the Faces Behind MADAP | | Since 1987, the Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program (MADAP) has ensured that people living with HIV in the state of Maryland have access to the medication they need in order to lead healthy lives. Funded primarily through the Ryan White CARE Act, this statewide program pays for the medication of eligible clients who have no insurance. MADAP also helps clients who do have insurance get their medication by paying for eligible co-pay and deductible costs. In addition to these services, MADAP hosts webinars and meetings and offers a 14-module foundational training series on the availability of and access to MADAP services. Clients, healthcare providers, case managers, and other stakeholders have access to these resources through the MADAP Resource Center on Alive! Maryland’s website. The Alive! Maryland team spoke with a few of the faces behind MADAP operations to gain perspective on their motivations for engaging in this work and their hopes for the future of the program. Read about their experiences below! | | | | | |  | Action Points: Upcoming Events | |  | STI Awareness Week - April 9 through April 15, 2023 Last week, April 9 - 15, was STI Awareness Week. The week provided an opportunity to raise awareness about STIs and how they impact our lives; reduce STI-related stigma, fear, and discrimination; and ensure people have the tools and knowledge for prevention, testing, and treatment. Click below to learn more about this awareness week and download shareable resources that can be used year-round. | | | | | View the 2019 Maryland Annual STI Report and additional data about chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and other STIs in Maryland. | | | | | View regularly updated mpox data for Maryland and access resources for providers, including CDC factsheets and vaccination information. | | | | | | |  | Utilizing Biomedical Interventions to Advance Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 1:00pm ET Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US (EHE) is an ambitious initiative that aims to reduce new HIV infections in the US by 90% by 2030 by scaling up key HIV prevention and treatment strategies. Join Alive! Maryland on Tuesday, April 25 at 1:00pm ET for a webinar that will provide an overview of EHE, as well as the context and current state of the HIV epidemic. This webinar will also address different forms of PrEP and PrEP formulations, how PrEP is utilized, side effects of PrEP use, and barriers to HIV treatment. The presentation will include case studies to illustrate these topics and the faculty will connect each topic's role in Ending the HIV Epidemic. | | | | HIV and Aging: Mental Health — Understanding the Complex Co-Morbidities We Face Friday, April 28, 2023 at 10:30am ET | | This event is part of the HIV and Aging Webinar Series. This webinar will discuss the following topics: - Aging and HIV
- Mental health disorders
- Health and wellness maintenance
- Stigma and discrimination
- Cultural competency / cultural humility
- Care coordination
| | | |  | MADAP Quality Management Committee Meeting Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 2:00pm ET The Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program (MADAP) will hold a MADAP Quality Management Committee meeting on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 from 2:00 to 4:00pm. All are welcome to listen along as the committee discusses performance measures and quality improvement projects. To register for the committee meeting, please click the button below. | | | |  | Project L.E.A.P. May 2023 Classes Friday, May 12, 2023 We are excited to announce that Project L.E.A.P. is hosting new classes May 2023! The Learning, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Participation Program (L.E.A.P.) is actively recruiting for the May 2023 class. We encourage participants to apply for this multi-session consumer focused empowerment training program designed for participants in Prince George's County, Montgomery County, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County. The L.E.A.P. program is a multi-session training program designed to strengthen the leadership capability of People living with substance use disorders, Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV, and Viral Hepatitis. L.E.A.P. is a status-neutral engagement strategy designed to provide training and direct-action opportunities for people who use drugs as well as those Marylanders living with and impacted by HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and viral hepatitis. A key objective is to build participants’ self-efficacy to engage with decision-making bodies in the communities where they live, work, and play. The next class is scheduled to begin on Friday, May 12. We are accepting applications until May 5. | | |  | Key Points: Featured Resources | | | | Capacity Building Assistance from Alive! Maryland Our Point-to-Point Team is here to make capacity building assistance (CBA) work for you. Point-to-Point is your CBA resource for the State of Maryland’s HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs, and harm reduction workforce and your organizations as you continue the fight against the epidemics in Maryland. We offer capacity building assistance in the following areas: - Organizational Infrastructure
- Fiscal Administration
- Data Collection Management and Reporting
- Service Provision
- And more!
To request capacity building assistance from Alive! Maryland, click the button to the left or visit AliveMaryland.org/cba. | | | | | Workforce Burnout: Breaking Cycles, Reinforcing Boundaries & Nurturing Self-Care Workplace systems can cause burnout among healthcare professionals. There is a range of societal, cultural, structural, and organizational factors that contribute to burnout among the healthcare workforce. Some examples include: excessive workloads, administrative burdens, limited say in scheduling, and lack of organizational support. This webinar provides strategies to break the burnout cycle and techniques to reinforce and nurture self-care for the healthcare workforce. | | | | | |  | How to Start a Nonprofit If you are passionate about helping or serving others in your community, you might consider starting a nonprofit program. This step-by-step guide explains the process of starting a nonprofit organization. | | | | |  | | Data Systems Manager, MDH Infectious Disease & Environmental Health Services Location: Baltimore City Description: This position will maintain, enhance and communicate program information for decision support of Quality Management and Clinical Quality Improvement processes, as mandated by HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB)'s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and Maryland statute. Such support and information includes the design, development and execution of enhanced computing capabilities, as well as staff and program participant interface. This position will act as a liaison between MADAP and the Department of Information Technology (OIT), along with the Office of Enterprise Technology (OET) and their contractors, in regards to discussing and resolving applications and programming problems and issues. Please note that this position is limited to current employees of the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) only. Deadline: April 24, 2023 | | | | Grants and Contracts Compliance Monitor, MDH Infectious Disease & Environmental Health Services Location: Baltimore City Description: This position will manage the fiscal and programmatic compliance by monitoring activities which support the work of the Center for HIV Prevention and Health Services. This position will also make recommendations for changes to policies and procedures which incorporate best practices, generally accepted accounting principles, funder guidelines, and Office of Management and Budget circulars. Deadline: May 4, 2023 | | | | TB Surveillance Epidemiologist, MDH Infectious Disease & Environmental Health Services Location: Baltimore City Description: This position will be the primary contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regarding monthly data summaries. In addition, this position will be the primary liaison with LHDs, out-of-state health departments, and reporting laboratories, in regards to TB cases and individuals with latent TB infection (LTBI). Furthermore, this position will serve as a TB surveillance authority within the Center and work with other Center staff members to develop appropriate policies and procedures regarding surveillance data management. Finally, this position will function as the primary surveillance contact point to CDC and adhere to State and national laws, as well as to guidelines and standards specific to data security, patient confidentiality, and electronic data management. Deadline: May 4, 2023 | | | | | | | Point of Contact Please reach out to Melissa Kelley, Alive! Maryland Program Director, at info@AliveMaryland.org with any questions, feedback, or submissions. For all CDC specific related training and technical assistance CTS Tracking Requests, you may contact Tawanna Davis, Tawanna.Davis@maryland.gov. Click the button below to request capacity building assistance for your organization. | | | | About Alive! Maryland The Maryland Department of Health engaged with HealthHIV to launch Alive! Maryland. ALIVE! stands for Assess, Learn, Integrate, Visualize, Engage — representing each phase of the program. Alive! Maryland is a motivational call to action to build capacity to improve health in Maryland. This initiative will provide Maryland providers with a web-based, self-paced virtual training institute, many CEU opportunities, direct training and technical assistance, and resource development. All resources, trainings, and tools are free and housed on a user-friendly and accessible website: AliveMaryland.org. | | | | |  | HealthHIV HealthHIV.org 1630 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 500 | Washington, DC 20009 202.232.6749 | info@healthhiv.org © 2022 HealthHIV | All rights reserved. | | | | | | | |