SPNS/Fax: An Electronic Report from HRSA/HAB's SPNS Cooperative Agreements:
Volume 2, Issue 3 (February 7, 1997)

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.

Metro DC Collaborative for Women Living With HIV/AIDS

The Metro DC Collaborative for Women Living with HIV/AIDS, a project of the Center for Women Policy Studies (CWPS) and PROTOTYPES, seeks to develop and implement a model to foster institutional or organizational collaboration and policy development. Women living with HIV/AIDS, (who as consultants provide policy and advocacy guidance), are the core members of the Collaborative. Other members in the Collaborative include agencies funded through the Ryan White CARE Act.

The Metro DC Collaborative is dedicated to bringing service organizations and women together as equal partners to reduce barriers to care encountered by women living with HIV/AIDS in the Metropolitan DC area, which includes the District of Columbia as well as areas in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Efforts to reduce barriers have four primary dimensions—assessment of barriers, capacity building, information dissemination, and policy development. The assessment of barriers via qualitative and quantitative methods and needs assessments results in action plans and strategies for policy development and the development and enhancement of women's leadership capacities. Efforts directed toward creating change include information-sharing meetings, training, technical assistance, and organizational development. The Collaborative also seeks to evaluate the program for replication (including assessing reductions in barriers, empowerment, leadership, and inclusion of women in policy development) and to disseminate information about the model to others in the field. Two complementary approaches to identifying barriers to women, one conducted by The Center for Women Policy Studies (CWPS) and the other conducted by PROTOTYPES, are presented below.

CWPS seeks to incorporate the diverse perspectives of women in the formulation of public policy that ensures their just and equitable treatment. The Center provides women's advocates with research, analyses and strategies for action and seeks to: 1) influence policy makers in government, business and the nonprofit sector; 2) conduct public education to help shape the debate around women's roles and status; 3) bring women's voices into public policy debates; and 4) nurture the leadership of women to create positive change. CWPS conducts focus groups, information-sharing meetings for women and service providers, and work group meetings on policy analysis and advocacy issues concerning women living with HIV/AIDS. The Center supports a cadre of women living with HIV/AIDS and works with them to provide activities that respond to women's self-defined needs. CWPS is also responsible for the overall activities of the Metro DC Collaborative and seeks to use the strategies and policies developed to help agencies within the Metropolitan DC area improve their services for women living with HIV/AIDS.

PROTOTYPES conducts needs assessments that address barriers to accessing health care for women with HIV/AIDS from a service agency/provider's perspective. In addition, PROTOTYPES seeks to improve services available to women with HIV by providing training and technical assistance to local service agencies, providers, and consumers. The technical assistance provided includes information, skill development, implementation assistance, process consultation, and facilitates plans for Training of Trainer workshops. This project attempts to make actual changes in the organizations or programs receiving technical assistance by increasing the quality of services they provide, enhancing administrative or service operations, improving skills, and encouraging adoption of innovative programs and technologies. For problems that can be addressed by training, PROTOTYPES provides a comprehensive training component relevant to barriers/problems already identified. This involves an initial Training of Trainers with ongoing training of the organizations/agencies within the Collaborative.

For more information about the Metro DC Collaborative, contact Leslie Wolfe, Ph.D. at The Center for Women Policy Studies, 1211 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 312, Washington, DC 20036.

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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