Exclamation Point!,
the Alive! Maryland Monthly Newsletter

November 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
• Points of View: Provider Perspectives
• Action Points: Recent and 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!

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

Alive! Maryland Offerings

Data to Action: Using Data to Initiate and Inform HIV/STI Client Services and Public Health Response
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 12:00pm Eastern

Join Alive! Maryland, led by HealthHIV, on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 12:00pm Eastern for a webinar that will illuminate how HIV/STI surveillance and program data are used to initiate and inform client services and public health response.

After defining "data to action" and reviewing the core data sources in Maryland, attendees will learn how data reporting and analysis lead to real-time field services and care engagement support for several groups of people: those newly diagnosed with HIV or syphilis, those living with HIV who may not be fully engaged in HIV medical care, and those who may benefit from HIV/STI testing, treatment, and prevention services. Faculty also will discuss core principles of confidentiality and person-first services, review how trend and network analysis inform public health response, and emphasize how clients, providers, and community members are key partners in HIV/STI data to action.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe data to action as a public health strategy and Maryland’s data to action activities.
• Identify the role of HIV/STI surveillance data and other core data sources in data to action.
• Explain methods for implementing client- and community-level data to action that ensure confidentiality and reduce stigma.
• State how clients, providers, and community members can partner with public health efforts to achieve the goals of HIV/STI data to action.

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 will receive an email with access to the recording as well as links to download materials. 

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: Recent and Upcoming Events

The attendees were deeply engaged, and their inquiries were particularly illuminating. Their questions spanned a range of pivotal topics, including challenges related to rural healthcare accessibility, the availability of virtual capacity training options, and HealthHIV's innovative Community Health Worker (CHW) elevated "Train the Trainer" program, which centers on HIV, STIs, viral hepatitis, and drug user health. Sheridan reported that this new CHW program sparked significant interest, with many eager to enroll in these vital training sessions for their respective CHW teams.

Overall, the speaking engagement at the Maryland Rural Health Conference provided a valuable platform to disseminate crucial information and engage in meaningful discussions with professionals who share a common commitment to enhancing healthcare accessibility and expertise in rural communities across Maryland. The enthusiasm and proactive response from the audience underscored the pressing need for such initiatives and affirmed the positive impact they promise to have on the broader healthcare landscape.

Transgender Day of Remembrance Events in Maryland

• Transgender Day of Remembrance Candlelight Vigil
  Sunday, November 19 from 5:30pm to 6:30pm
  100 Holiday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
  For more information contact Baltimore Safe Haven at 443.869.6867 or info@baltimoresafehaven.org
   
• Transgender Day of Remembrance Community Reception
  Sunday, November 19 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm
  401 N. Howard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
  For more information contact Baltimore Safe Haven at 443.869.6867 or info@baltimoresafehaven.org
   
• Transgender Day of Remembrance Ball 
  Sunday, November 19 from 9:30pm to 11:30pm
  401 N. Howard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
  For more information contact Baltimore Safe Haven at 443.869.6867 or info@baltimoresafehaven.org

World AIDS Day - December 1, 2023

World AIDS Day is observed annually on December 1st and is an opportunity to reflect on the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, show support for those living with HIV, and commemorate those we have lost to AIDS-related illnesses.

The first World AIDS Day took place in 1988, and this World AIDS Day marks the 35th commemoration with the theme “World AIDS Day 35: Remember and Commit.”

This year is an opportunity to reflect on and remember our journey, acknowledge and celebrate the progress we’ve made, recognize the challenges remaining, and commit to ending the HIV epidemic.

HIV in Maryland

• During 2022, there were 751 reported HIV diagnoses among people aged 13+.
• At the end of 2022, there were 31,616 people aged 13+ living with diagnosed HIV.
• It is estimated that as of 2021, 90.9 percent of people living with HIV in Maryland have been diagnosed and an estimated 3,200 people with HIV remain undiagnosed. 
• Among people living with diagnosed HIV, 72.8 percent were retained in care, and 58.9 percent achieved viral suppression during 2022.

To view additional newly released Maryland HIV epidemiological products, click the button below.

World AIDS Day Events in Maryland

• NMAC - Love Letter to Black Women World AIDS Day 2023
  Thursday, November 30
  NMAC honors all the women in the Congressional Black Caucus.
  Space is limited; you must RSVP in advance at RSVP@NMAC.org
   
• World AIDS Day Commemorative Event and Panel Discussion
  Thursday, November 30 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
  Hosted by the Baltimore County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
  UMBC
  For more information contact Robin Perry, Committee Co-Chair, International Awareness and Involvement Committee at robin.perry@yahoo.com or Committee Chair, Mia Chapman-Fisher, at lilmzmia@hotmail.com
   
• 3rd Annual World AIDS Day Solidarity for Health Equity Breakfast
  Friday, December 1 from 9:00am to 11:00am
  Hosted by Montgomery County Health Department
  Silver Spring Civic Building – Great Hall
  1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD 20910
  Space is limited and invitations are non-transferable.
  For more information contact Emily Halden Brown at Emily.Brown@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov
   
• World AIDS Day Breakfast Forum - “HIV and the Politics of Race: The Minority AIDS Initiative at 25” 
  Friday, December 1 from 9:00am to 12:00pm
  Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, NMAC (formerly National Minority AIDS Coalition), the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute are inviting you to our inaugural Health Opportunities for Policy Equity (HOPE) Challenge.
  Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center
  555 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. in Washington D.C.
  Doors open at 8:30am.  
  For any questions about this event please contact Dr. Ali Iftikhar at aiftikh1@jhmi.edu or Dr. Emmanuel Animashaun at eanimas1@jhmi.edu  
   
• World AIDS Day Gala
  Friday, December 1 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm
  Hosted by Begin Anew, Inc., in partnership with Johns Hopkins Urban League, the Mayor’s Office of Baltimore City
  Johns Hopkins University Scott-Bates Commons Building
  10 E. 33rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
  For more information contact Dr. Sherri Holt at 443.986.2837 or begin-anew@outlook.com
   
• 37th Annual Walk to End HIV and World AIDS Day Commemoration
  Saturday, December 2 at 9:00am
  Hosted by Whitman Walker Clinic
  For more information contact Dwight Venson at dvenson@whitman-walker.org
   
• World AIDS Day 35
  Wednesday, December 6 from 5:30pm to 8:00pm
  Hosted by the Coalition of Baltimore HIV Providers
  Unity Hall
  1505 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, MD 21217
  For more information contact: cbhivp@gmail.com

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.

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!

Key Points: Featured Resources

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe HIV self-testing in Maryland.
• Identify benefits and limitations of HIV self-testing.
• Explain the importance of seeking confirmatory testing and counseling after receiving a reactive HIV self-test result.
• Discuss confidentiality and informed consent.

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

The open enrollment period for the Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program (MADAP) starts in January 2024. Brush up on key topics in preparation for open enrollment by reviewing the slide decks from the "MADAP Prime Time Round Table" webinar series, hosted by the MADAP team at the Maryland Department of Health.

Visit AliveMaryland.org/MADAP or click the button below to download slide decks from the seven webinars in this comprehensive series.

Manage Your Diabetes ABCs This National Diabetes Month

People with diabetes have high levels of blood glucose, also called high blood sugar, that can damage blood vessels and nerves in many parts of the body. But did you know that managing your diabetes ABCs—A1C blood glucose level, blood pressure, and cholesterol—can help prevent diabetes health problems?

This November, in honor of National Diabetes Month, learn how managing diabetes as soon as possible may help you stay healthier longer. You can start by slowly building healthy habits and getting support from your health care team.

Access tips, tools, and sharable resources for diabetes management by clicking the button below.

PrEP, PEP, and Other HIV Prevention Strategies: Billing and Coding Guide

NASTAD is pleased to release the "Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and Other HIV Prevention Strategies: Billing and Coding Guide." The goal of this guide is to provide up-to-date information and best practices for coding, billing, and denial resolution for PrEP and PEP services.

Click the button below to view NASTAD's guide.