| | Exclamation Point!,
the Alive! Maryland Monthly Newsletter October 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
- 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 | |  | The open enrollment period for the Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program (MADAP) starts in January 2024. Join the MADAP team at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) for a comprehensive webinar series taking place in October and November that will cover key topics in preparation for open enrollment. The series includes seven webinars featuring MADAP experts and opportunities for live Q&A. See below for details on the next session. Next Session: Webinar 3 Prime Time for Medicare Premium Assistance:
Tools & Tips on Helping Clients Enroll in Medicare Assistance Programs Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 1:00pm Eastern This session will cover: - Medicare Premium Assistance
- MADAP Requirement for Medicare Premium Assistance Programs
- Medicare Assistance Programs in a Nutshell
- Medicare Special Enrollment Periods
- Best Practices Q&A
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. | | | |  | Mapping ZIP Codes and Social Determinants of Health that Impact HIV in Maryland
Thursday, October 26, 2023 Mapping allows community members and organizations to plan better management of resources, develop and implement interventions and programs, and resolve resource conflicts. Join Alive! Maryland, led by HealthHIV, on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 12:00pm Eastern for a webinar that will delve into how mapping social determinants of health (SDOH) can drive HIV prevention and intervention. To illustrate this, the webinar will provide an overview of the Alive! Maryland 2023 Community Mapping Toolkit, “Visualizing Health Disparities to Advance Public Health.” Learning Objectives At the end of this webinar, you will be able to: - Describe how mapping toolkits can inform community members when responding to health, systemic, and societal needs.
- Discuss mapping strategies for HIV surveillance in Maryland.
- Explain the mapping process used to help identify and evaluate the strengths, assets, needs, and challenges of a specific community.
- Identify mapping strategies to develop solutions and interventions addressing social inequities that impact HIV.
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. | | | | | |  | 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. | | | | Typhanye Vielka Dyer (she/her), University of Maryland School of Public Health As the HIV care continuum evolves, it is important to provide and build upon culturally competent care approaches for populations disproportionately affected by HIV. This is a huge point of passion for Typhanye Vielka Dyer, PhD, MPH, an Associate Professor of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department at the University of Maryland School of Public Health in College Park, MD. Her work is dedicated to the impact of psychological, social, and behavioral determinants of health as it relates to STI and HIV risk in the Black community – especially for Black women. As an epidemiologist and health disparities scholar, her work is vital to advancing the state of health in Maryland. Read the interview below to learn more about her work! | | | | | | | |  | Action Points: Recent and Upcoming Events | | | | National Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS)
Recognition Day The 12th annual National Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) Recognition Day took place on October 6, 2023. A joint effort between the Maryland Department of Health's Infectious Disease Prevention and Health Services Bureau, Center for STI Prevention, Program Management unit and Alive! Maryland was planned in order to recognize the achievements and successes of the DIS workforce in Maryland. DIS are the supporting backbone of public health and all their hard work deserves recognition! In addition to recognizing achievements, DIS were also able to collaborate on-site with HealthHIV staff members, Melissa Kelley and Leo Sheridan, and refresh their skills with sessions about motivational interviewing, sexual health, and partner elicitation and notification with Maryland Department of Health staff and other local experts. It was an informative and engaging day for all. | | | | | |  | National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day - October 15, 2023 National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day is observed annually on October 15th. Observance of this day, which is coordinated by the Latino Commission on AIDS, aims to mobilize community-based organizations to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS, promote testing, prevention, and education among the Latino community. The day falls during National Hispanic Heritage month, observed from September 15 to October 15, 2023. - In 2022, there were 129 reported HIV diagnoses among Hispanic people in Maryland, accounting for 17.2% percent of total HIV diagnoses.
- By the end of 2022, 1 in 217 Hispanic people in Maryland were reported to be living with diagnosed HIV.
- It is estimated that an additional 16.1% of Hispanic people living with HIV in Maryland remain undiagnosed, as of 2021.
| | | | | | 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! | | | | | | | | Workplace Strategies to Address Impacts of Trauma and Domestic Violence Webinar - Wednesday, October 18, 2023 Violence affects health care staff both directly and indirectly. During this webinar, participants will learn about health center policies to help staff who experience issues such as intimate partner violence (IPV), stalking, sexual harassment, and other forms of gender-based violence, both inside and outside of the workplace. Practical strategies to enhance staff well-being and to minimize secondary and vicarious trauma when caring for patients who have experienced abuse and trauma will also be discussed. | | | | | | | | 18th Annual Legends and Young'uns Conference - Tuesday, October 31, 2023 Older Women Embracing Life (OWEL) and the Johns Hopkins University RP MidAtlantic AIDS Education Training Center (MAAETC), in collaboration with Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy, will host the Eighteenth Annual Legends and Young’uns Conference. Join us for learning & loving, singing & sharing, eating delicious food… and being the Phenomenal Women we are! CEUs are available for Licensed Counselors & Therapists. | | | | | | | | 2023 IDPHSB Center for HIV Prevention and Health Services Statewide Meeting: Mobilizing Our Efforts for Outcomes-Based Success
Friday, November 3, 2023 MARK YOUR CALENDAR and REGISTER NOW for the 2023 IDPHSB Center for HIV Prevention and Health Services Integrated Statewide Meeting. This year, the statewide meeting theme is "Mobilizing Our Efforts for Outcomes-Based Success." The meeting will take place virtually on Friday, November 3, 2023 from 9:00am to 4:30pm Eastern. Intended Audience: Program managers, medical providers, case managers, HIV testing and outreach workers, and other staff from Maryland IDPHSB Center for HIV Prevention and Health Services prevention and Ryan White funded sub-recipients. To view the agenda and register, click the button to the right. | | | | | |  | 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. | | | | | |  | | | 2023 Maryland Women of Color Network Conference
Thursday, November 16, 2023 Join us Thursday, November 16th for the Maryland Women of Color Network's (Maryland WOCN) annual conference! This statewide conference serves as a networking and training event for rape crisis and recovery centers, government agencies, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, community leaders, and students. This year's event will include two informative workshops and a panel of sexual assault survivors who will share their story and experiences about their 'healing and thriving after trauma' journey. The conference will be held in person at Bowie State University, 14000 Jericho Park Road, Bowie, Maryland 20715. The conference is sponsored by MCASA, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) Rape and Sexual Assault Prevention Program, and Bowie State University. | | | | | |  | 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. | | | | | | Re-Envisioning Sexual History Taking Taking a patient’s sexual history allows healthcare professionals to provide high-quality patient care by appropriately assessing and screening individuals for a broad range of sexual health concerns. A sexual history should be taken as part of routine health care, as well as when there are symptoms or physical exam findings suggestive of STIs. This on-demand, self-paced learning module from Alive! Maryland addresses the 6 P’s of sexual history taking and strategies to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive approach for all patients. | | | | | | Learning Objectives At the end of this session, you will be able to: - Recall history of the sexual health taking process
- Identify opportunities to reduce barriers to sexual history taking
- Apply strategies to incorporate a sexual history into patient visits
1.0 continuing education credits (AMA, CNE, CPE, AAPA, ACE, APA, IPCE) are available for this module. | | | | | | Johns Hopkins Patient Engagement Program (PEP) The Johns Hopkins Patient Engagement Program (PEP) is a comprehensive, skills-based training program that helps providers and health care organizations realize the goal of patient-centered care. PEP recognizes that health care systems must simultaneously focus on four performance dimensions: improved patient health outcomes, reduced health care costs, improved patient experience and supporting providers in their work. PEP helps health care organizations achieve these aims by improving their ability to engage patients as active partners in their health care. PEP uses evidence-based principles and skills that can impact providers, patients and organizational culture. Want to know more about what the PEP Program is and how it can help you? Click the button below. | | | | | | | | New Resource: Provision of Medical Advocacy The National Health Resource Center (HRC) on Domestic Violence has created a new informational sheet to help domestic violence programs understand FVPSA’s September 2022 memo on Provision of Medical Advocacy (ACF-ACYF-FVPSA-IM-22-03). It provides guidance to FVPSA grant recipients and subrecipients on the definition of medical advocacy, and answers questions that may come up in the provision of, and reimbursement for, medical advocacy. | | | | | | | | Sexo, Placer, Mi Decisión Did you know that the National Health Center (HRC) on Domestic Violence has many culturally specific resources for the Latinx community in Spanish, like our Sexo, Placer, Mi Decisión safety card? Find this safety card and several other resources in the HRC store. | | | | | | | |  | | |  | The Health Impact Specialist Program at DC Health is looking for: - Young Black Women
- Young Gay and Bi Men
- Transgender/Gender non-conforming persons, and
- Latinx persons
What Health Impact Specialists get to experience: - Part-time employment
- Intentional professional engagement that will drive their deployment experience
- Defined expectations from leadership at the health department and deployment site
- Ongoing professional development and navigation
- Opportunities to learn, engage with community, and shape the next steps of their career
- The possibility of long-term employment
Interested? Send your resume to communityengagecbhcp@dc.gov. | | | | Operations Coordinator, MDH Infectious Disease & Environmental Health Services Location: Baltimore City Description: This position will work collaboratively with program staff members within the Center for Harm Reduction Services, along with other units within the Bureau of Infectious Disease and with Public Health Services' fiscal, grants, and procurement offices. This position will be responsible for processing forms and for coordinating different procurement processes for new grant programs. This position will also be responsible for managing budgeting across the Center’s funding sources, in addition to managing sub-recipient grants. Furthermore, this position will be responsible for ensuring access to naloxone and fentanyl test strips through a centralized purchasing model. The work completed by this position will contribute to the smooth implementation of all activities within the CHRS. Deadline: October 18, 2023 | | | | | | REDCap Database Specialist, MDH Infectious Disease & Environmental Health Services Location: Baltimore City Description: The main purpose of this full-time contractual position is to function within PHPA’s Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Outbreak Response Bureau (IDEORB) by supporting its work, including maintaining, enhancing, designing, and building data collection tools in the REDCap online database system. This position will create and manage REDCap user accounts, as well as implement data collection instruments, active surveillance, data quality rules, and reports. This position will also integrate third-party add-ons and exchange data through the REDCap Application Programming Interface (API). Deadline: October 18, 2023 | | | | | | Program Administrator, MDH Infectious Disease & Environmental Health Services Location: Baltimore City Description: The Public Health Infrastructure Grant Program Manager works in the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) Office of the Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services (ODSPHS) and oversees the daily operations of the Public Health Infrastructure (PHI) program, which involves multiple MDH units and programs as well as local health departments. The purpose of the 5-year infrastructure grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is to invest in new and transformative ways to modernize Maryland’s public health infrastructure. The PHI Program has a five-year budget of approximately $47,000,000 for investment in reinforcing and expanding the public health workforce (both local and state) by hiring, retaining, supporting, and training the workforce and by strengthening foundational public health capabilities (e.g., organizational competencies, equity, communications). The Grant Program Manager is directly responsible for the program budget and overseeing all technical and administrative operations of all involved MDH units and local health departments. This includes compiling, reviewing and processing grant applications; reviewing, approving and tracking grant expenditures; completing or reviewing and submitting required reports and performance metrics; making budget projections; providing direction and information to program staff and sub-grantees; and serving as a liaison with the MDH Budget Management Office, senior MDH leadership, and the CDC. Deadline: October 20, 2023 | | | | | |  | | | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows
2024–2025 Call for Applications Interested in working at the intersection of healthcare and policy, learning from the most influential leaders and government executives in the country? Applications are now open for the 2024-2025 RWJF Health Policy Fellows cohort. The program offers eight awards of up to $175,000 each, along with a 12-month residential placement in Washington, D.C. Through pairings with congressional and executive offices, the program allows fellows to gain unmatched health policy leadership experience in our nation's capital. Fellows will get the opportunity to work with influential leaders and get direct experience at the nexus of health, science, and policy. Click below to learn more and apply for this funding opportunity. Deadline: November 1, 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
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