SPNS/Fax: An Electronic Report from HRSA/HAB's SPNS Cooperative Agreements:
Volume 1, Issue 12 (September 20, 1996)

Information dissemination from 27 Innovative Models of HIV Care projects funded as Special Projects of National Significance by the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Introduction

Welcome to SPNS/Fax: An Electronic Report from HRSA/HAB's SPNS Cooperative Agreements. In each issue of SPNS/Fax, we will highlight findings from the HRSA Special Projects of National Significance Program Cooperative Agreements. The projects have been funded to develop innovative models of HIV/AIDS care. SPNS/Fax reports are distributed every two weeks by fax machine to all subscribers. All issues of SPNS/Fax are also available at this Web site. Due to slight differences in the media, issues distributed by fax machine may appear slightly different from those posted on this Web site, but the content is identical.

Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service Trains Community Advocates

Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service (MPAS) is a private nonprofit organization offering a full range of advocacy services to people with disabilities. Since 1994, MPAS has conducted the Community Advocate Training Program (CATP) through HRSA/HAB's SPNS. CATP trains local people living with HIV/AIDS and service providers about issues related to accessing HIV-related health care and other services, as well as other related legal advocacy topics. CATP emphasizes removing racial, cultural, language, and other barriers present in the population. Because MPAS had an overwhelming demand for advocacy services, CATP was designed to train people in local communities to expand resources statewide. CATP has been found to be a valuable tool to train community advocates regarding HIV/AIDS legal issues, so that they can disseminate this information to members of their community and so that they can help others to recognize HIV legal issues when they occur and remedies that are available to them.

CATP provides a range of services including training for community advocates and attorneys. Trainings offered cover topics such as:

• Wills and estate planning;

• Social Security and other public benefits;

• Access to health care;

• Housing;

• Public policy; and

• Providing for children.

The table shows the percentage of trainings at which selected topics were presented.

Since October 1994, CATP conducted a total of 82 trainings to 236 individuals active in their local communities throughout the State of Michigan. Female advocates were more likely to be professionally trained service providers such as case managers (32.4%) or nurses (19.1%); male advocates were more likely to identify themselves as consumers of HIV services (25.5%) or family members/friends of persons with HIV/AIDS (24.5%). Approximately 10% of those trained were identified as attorneys. The participants were highly satisfied with the trainings, with 98.7% of all trainees rating them as highly useful and 98.4% describing the quality of the training as very good or excellent.

In addition, the MPAS project provides direct legal advocacy services. Since February 1995, the project has provided direct services to 47 clients. The majority of such cases (72.0%) resulted in signed documents for the clients such as wills, durable power of attorney, or designation of patient advocate (similar to a living will).

The Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service has produced a manual for its Community Advocate Training Program. For information about this and other resources, contact Jay Kaplan, J.D., 29200 Vassar Blvd., Suite 501, Livonia, MI, 48251-2181, or Laura Anderson, J.D., 106 W. Allegan, Suite 210, Lansing, MI 48933-1706.

SPNS/Fax is produced by The Measurement Group–PROTOTYPES Evaluation and Dissemination Center (EDC). Editorial comments should be made to The Measurement Group at 5811A Uplander Way, Culver City, California 90230, 310.216.1051, 310.670.7735 (fax).
 

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