Exclamation Point!,
the Alive! Maryland Monthly Newsletter

August 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, led by HealthHIV. 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:

• Alive! Maryland Offerings
• Special Spotlight: Heart to Hand, Inc.'s HIV/STI Testing Social Marketing Campaign
• Points of View: Provider Perspectives
• Action Points: Upcoming Events
• Key Points: Featured Resources
• Job Openings
• Funding Opportunities

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!

Click "[Message clipped] View entire message" at bottom of your page to read the newsletter in its entirety.

Alive! Maryland Offerings

PrEP Initiatives for the Latino/a/x Community - Thursday, September 14, 2023

This webinar will provide an overview of different PrEP initiatives that have been proven effective in the Latino/a/x community. The faculty will also discuss practical strategies that increase the knowledge, comfort, and skills of providers to engage this community in PrEP services.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Discuss the current state of HIV transmission and PrEP utilization among the Latino/a/x community.
• Identify different PrEP initiatives focused on the Latino/a/x community, including culturally sensitive education and outreach, community-based testing programs, and PrEP access programs.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of PrEP initiatives for the Latino/a/x community, including their impact on HIV transmission rates, PrEP uptake, medication adherence, and health outcomes.
• Develop strategies to improve and expand PrEP initiatives for the Latino/a/x community, such as increasing funding for PrEP programs, increasing access to PrEP medication, and addressing cultural barriers.

Please note that continuing education credits are not available for this webinar.

If you are unable to attend the live event, you still need to register so that, after the live event has ended, you receive an email with access to the recording as well as links to download materials. 

Upcoming Capacity Building Opportunities

August/September

• Self-Paced Webinar - Addressing Mental Health Challenges in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Living with HIV
• Self-Paced 5-Module HIV Prevention Series
   - Module 1: HIV Self-Testing
   - Module 2: Sexual History Taking
• Live Webinar - nPEP: A Provider Resource Toolkit

Special Spotlight

Heart to Hand, Inc.'s HIV/STI Testing Social Marketing Campaign

Heart to Hand, Inc., a capacity building organization based in Largo, MD, conducts a variety of HIV/STI testing promotional activities on social media under a marketing campaign funded by the state of Maryland. The campaign highlights Heart to Hand's free and accessible HIV/STI testing and treatment services among Prince George's County residents. The organization disseminates prevention and treatment service offerings to African American residents ages 18-49 through social media, digital advertisements on apps, as well as through audio and digital advertisements via streaming media services.

Heart to Hand found that many customers do not know what sexual wellness resources are available outside of the local health department or their primary care provider.  As a result of this campaign, the organization saw the biggest impact in testing numbers for the month of June, at an increase of 93%. Heart to Hand appreciates the State of Maryland for acknowledging the services provided and bringing awareness to the importance of HIV testing and prevention within Prince George's County, one of the regions named as part of the Federal government's Ending the Epidemic (EHE) initiative. 

You can view some examples of campaign materials below. For more information, contact Dominique Smith at dsmith@hearttohandinc.org.

Points of View: Provider Perspectives

Each month we will highlight a Maryland provider in this section whose work is helping bring the State alive. If you have a colleague you think deserves some appreciation, let us know! Please email info@AliveMaryland.org and include the provider's name, role and affiliation, and contact details. We'll then reach out to your colleague with some brief interview questions.

Action Points: Upcoming Events

Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - August 20, 2023

Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (SHAAD) is August 20. Founded by the Southern AIDS Coalition, SHAAD is a day that individuals, communities, and organizations can unite to call attention to the disproportionate number of people living with HIV in the South. SHAAD is an opportunity to provide people in the South with HIV testing and linkage to HIV medical care if necessary, education on HIV prevention, including ways to stop HIV stigma, and other HIV-related care resources.

National Faith HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - August 29, 2023

National Faith HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a day to engage faith communities to work together for HIV/AIDS education, prevention, treatment, care, and support, and to reduce and eliminate stigma and discrimination.

Reaching All HIV+ Muslims in America (RAHMA) and its partners have led the events of this awareness day across the nation, reaching thousands of people of various faiths  across the United States to take a stand against stigma in their congregations to help raise awareness about HIV. RAHMA and its partners lead the planning for National Faith HIV & AIDS Awareness Day. RAHMA held the first NFHAAD observance in 2017.

MADAP Quality Management Committee, Q3 2023 - Wednesday, August 9, 2023

The Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program (MADAP) will hold a MADAP Quality Management Committee meeting on Wednesday, August 9, 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, click the button below.

Please contact Misty Carney at misty.carney@maryland.gov if you have any questions.

Implementing Injectable PrEP at Your Agency: A Four-Part Webinar Series

The PS19-1904 Track B Capacity Building Assistance providers of Washington University in St. Louis, Latino Commission on AIDS, University of Rochester, and San Francisco Department of Public Health will host a four-part virtual series that will address injectable PrEP. Cabotegravir was approved for HIV PrEP in December 2021, but implementation and uptake have been low. The purpose of this series is to build the capacity of the HIV workforce for injectable PrEP implementation through peer-to-peer learning. This series is for agencies at any stage of implementation.

The sessions will address four topics respectively.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023 - Injectable PrEP: What the Science and Users Have to Say About It
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 - Implementing Injectable PrEP: Lessons from the Field
Tuesday, October 17, 2023 - Financing Injectable PrEP: Strategies and Lessons Learned
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 - Putting It All Together

Join us for these four interactive sessions featuring panels, case studies, and more to enhance staff and provider knowledge on injectable PrEP!

National Community Health Workers (CHW) Awareness Week - August 28 - September 1, 2023

National CHW Awareness Week (NCHWAW) is the first ever national campaign with CHWs at the center! The National Association of Community Health Workers has developed this event to increase awareness of CHW identity, roles, impact on communities, and leadership – and to promote policies that respect, protect and authentically partner with the CHW profession.

American Public Health Association 2023 Annual Meeting - November 12-15, 2023

APHA’s 2023 Annual Meeting and Expo, taking place November 12 to 15, 2023, will offer innovative and exciting opportunities to help you reach your personal and professional goals. Learn from leading experts, build leadership skills and knowledge, and connect with peers from around the globe, all with the choice and flexibility to select the best format for you.

Whether you join us in person or online, you’ll engage, collaborate and grow by attending your pick of over 1,000 scientific presentations, participating in fun social activities, and meeting sponsors and exhibitors in the Public Health Expo.

Key Points: Featured Resources

Learning Objectives

At the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Describe at least three common mental health challenges that children, adolescents, and young adults face when living with HIV.
• List how mental health challenges can impact their medical care and treatment.
• Identify at least three ways to address the particular mental health challenges that children, adolescents, and young adults living with HIV face to improve their self-perceived health and reception of medical treatment.

1.0 continuing education credits (AAPA, ACPE, AMA, CNE, ASWB, APA, IPCE) are available for this module.

Also visit HIV.gov’s Mpox and People with HIV page for information and resources you can use and share.

CMS Physician Payment Rule Advances Health Equity

Proposed policies will expand behavioral health services, support the President’s Cancer Moonshot, promote innovation, and grow value-based care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the calendar year (CY) 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule to announce rate updates, advance health equity, and expand access to critical medical services — including behavioral health care and certain oral health services. Notably, the proposed rule supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s Cancer Moonshot mission to accelerate the fight against cancer.

"Positive Voices" Podcast Guest Recruitment

Through the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative (EHE), the Health Departments of DC, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County seek to decrease the number of new HIV infections in our area by 90% by 2030.

We’re looking for guests for Season 2 of the Positive Voices podcast. This innovative approach to EHE will give members of our HIV communities an opportunity to share their life experiences, discuss important issues regarding HIV and sexual health, and encourage people living with HIV to engage in care and treatment.

We are open to guests from non-traditional backgrounds living with HIV who are creative storytellers and open to talking about tough issues impacting the community. Financial compensation will be provided.

To learn more, click the button below.