August is National Immunization Awareness Month

Vaccines are an important part of staying healthy and help to avoid serious and sometimes deadly diseases. This is especially true for our clients living with HIV. Vaccines help our communities stay healthy. When many people get vaccinated and become immune to a disease, it is less likely that there will be serious outbreaks.

For people living with HIV, it is important to talk to a healthcare provider about vaccines.  Generally, immunizations are safe for people with a CD4 T-Cell count over 200, although they may cause a temporary rise in viral load.

An excellent resource is the fact sheet Vaccines and People with HIV from the National Institutes of Health.  It includes detailed information and precautions for the populations we serve.

NO-COST Technical Assistance

The Effi Barry Training Institute is dedicated to empowering current and prospective HAHSTA grantees and community-based organizations with the knowledge and tools to thrive. We offer targeted training and technical assistance across a variety of key areas. 

We provide technical assistance for: 

• Navigating the Fee-for-Service business process
• Mastering foundational HIV service competencies
• Advancing expertise in healthcare systems, data, and health informatics
• Implementing high-impact prevention strategies (including biomedical models)
• Integrating emerging evidence-based practices 

Our approach blends group-level training, hands-on boot camps, dynamic community forums, and tailored one-on-one consultations.

At HealthHIV, we believe in the power of holistic, patient-centered care. Our capacity-building efforts are designed to help organizations enhance patient outcomes, drive efficiencies, and maintain long-term sustainability. Through our innovative approach, we build robust, sustainable systems and services that address every stage of the HIV care continuum.

Submit a Technical Assistance Request form to connect with EBTI today.

Upcoming Live Webinar

Building Strong Teams: Effective Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Peer Navigators 
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 12:00pm Eastern

Too often, organizations with the best intentions hire peers without a framework for success which leads to high turnover, peer dissatisfaction, and a depletion of already scarce resources. However, by understanding the value of peers, including them in programming, and integrating them into existing staff culture using evidence-based strategies, leaders can ensure sustainability within their teams and greater health outcomes for their clients.

This webinar is designed to guide those in leadership roles at organizations focused on HIV, STIs, and harm reduction to recruit, retain, and develop peers as part of an effective public health prevention workforce.

Self-Paced Trainings and Resources

On-Demand Webinars:

• Engaging African Immigrants in HIV Prevention and Care - 2.0 CEUs 

  Designed to equip healthcare and service providers with culturally responsive strategies to improve HIV prevention, testing, and care engagement among African immigrant communities.

• HIV and Older Adults: Managing Chronic Disease and Polypharmacy - 1.50 CEUs

  Explores the challenges of managing multiple chronic conditions alongside HIV, as well as the complexities of using multiple medications, known as polypharmacy.

• Putting the Pieces Together: Intersectionality in HIV Care - 2.0 CEUs

  An introduction to the concept of intersectionality and discussion of the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, specifically those living with HIV/AIDS.

Podcasts and Digital Resources:

• Increasing HIV Knowledge Among Youth by Engaging the HIV Prevention Workforce

  This guide helps HIV prevention workers in DC engage youth ages 13–24 with effective, youth-centered strategies to reduce HIV’s impact and improve health outcomes.

Mpox Prevention Matters

Awareness Days in September

• September 9 - National African Immigrants and Refugee HIV and Hepatitis Awareness Day
  The purpose of NAIRHHA Day is to bring national and local attention to the HIV and viral hepatitis needs of African immigrants living in the U.S. in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. By addressing some of the unique issues that African immigrants in the U.S. face through awareness, education, and resources, NAIRHHA Day helps to eliminate the pervasive stigma surrounding HIV and hepatitis in these communities and empower individuals within these communities to take charge of their health by encouraging screenings, treatment, and hepatitis B vaccination.
• September 18 - National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day 
  National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAD) is observed each year on September 18 to focus on the increasing number of people who, because of major advancements in HIV treatment, are living long, full lives with HIV. The awareness day also calls attention to the unique health and social needs, as well as the challenges of HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care, among people who are aging.
• September 27 - National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
  This observance offers an opportunity to raise awareness about stopping HIV stigma and encouraging HIV testing, prevention, and treatment for HIV among gay and bisexual men, who often face multiple challenges—such as racism, homophobia, discrimination, and stigma—which may increase the risk of HIV.

This project is funded wholly, or in part, by the Government of the District of Columbia, Department of Health, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Administration (HAHSTA).