Tribal HIV/STD training kit and guide – Clinical Information Toolbox

IHS announces tribal HIV/STD training kit and guide

To help stop the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the Indian Health Service (IHS) supported the development of a Tribal HIV/STD Training Kit and Policy Guide. The training kit gives tribes and tribal organizations information on how to work with tribal council members, school boards, health directors, and other partnering programs on ways to prevent the transmission of HIV and STDs.The training kit contains facts about sexual health, tools for assessing community readiness to implement a sexual health program, information to guide policy development, case studies of effective models for change, and additional resources to strengthen community sexual health activities and policies.The kit also provides recommendations to American Indians and Alaska Natives on healthy lifestyle choices. Tribal health advocates can use the kit to guide discussions with tribal leaders and develop ideas for effective disease prevention strategies. The training kit can be downloaded from the IHS website at http://www.ihs.gov/hivaids/. The training kit is a collaborative effort with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health Resource Center and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. It is being released in conjunction with the International AIDS Conference being held in Washington, D.C., the week of July 22. The IHS, an agency in HHS, provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who are members of federally recognized tribes.   Clinical Information Toolbox The Community Readiness Model The Community Readiness Model (CRM) is a nine stage, multi-dimensional model to facilitate community change. The model was developed 15 years ago at Colorado State University (Plested, Jumper-Thurman, Edwards & Oetting, 1998)*. The model is community-specific, issue specific and is designed to build cooperation among systems and individuals as well as mobilizing a community into action. The CRM has been used in Native communities throughout the United States and Canada. It has been used for development of more successful and effective intervention strategies for prevention of HIV/AIDS, drug and alcohol use, intimate partner violence, suicide, and many other topics around social issues. It has been published in over 30 articles and has documented numerous success stories. In 2006 the First Nations Behavioral Health Association awarded CASAE a plaque for the contribution of the CRM and its selection as one of the ten “effective practices” which addresses the behavioral health needs of children and adolescents across Indian Country. The following resources and tools come courtesy of the Mountain Plains AIDS Education and Training Center. We thank them for their hard work and commitment to the fight against HIV in the American Indian /Alaska Native population. Review a full listing of their resources and products. Risk Reduction Notepad [PDF- 392KB] This simple, yet thorough risk-reduction “notepad” is a document that can be utilized by providers, case managers, counselors, etc. to begin discussion about prevention topics and agree to specific risk reduction strategies with their patients. Pocket Antiretroviral Medication Chart Guide [PDF- 636KB] This colorful one-page chart to HIV Antiretroviral medications is a quick visual guide to the many drugs available in both brand and generic nomenclature. It may also be useful in identification of current meds and potential prevention of medication errors. Pocket Primary Care Checklist for HIV Clients [PDF- 444KB] The Primary Care for the HIV Specialist checklist is a summary of the many clinical components necessary for sound monitoring and evaluation of the seropositive patient. It includes recommendations for screenings, exams, laboratory work, etc. This does not replace the Clinical Guidelines for Treatment and Care of HIV patients, however is a simple reference check-list or reminder for follow-up care. Behavior Assessment and Discussion Prompts[PDF -280KB] This assessment tool is both quick and easy to understand for patients and providers. The tool may be utilized by providers, case managers, counselors, etc. to assess risky behavior and to begin discussion on important prevention and behavioral issues. Community Readiness Model Interview Questions [PDF – 67KB] This set of questions represents the interview portion of the readiness model and part of the tools needed for community assessment. The staff at the Center for Applied Studies in American Ethnicity (CASAE) can assist if you are interested in this type of community assessment. They are interested in building capacity in Native communities and have many resources / tools to utilize. CASAE More information can be found at their website. *Plested, B.A., Jumper-Thurman, P., Edwards, R. W., & Oetting, E. R. (1998). Community readiness: A tool for effective community-based prevention. Prevention Researcher, (5)2, 5-7. www.happ.colostate.edu Evaluating STD Prevention Capacity Within American Indian Tribes: A Comprehensive Assesment Tool (2006) [PDF – 506KB] Project Red Talon (PRT) and the Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center (NPTEC) collaborated to develop a comprehensive Tribal STD/HIV Capacity Assessment Survey. The survey was administered to 37 tribes in Idaho, Oregon, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. Native American HIV/AIDS Prevention Guidelines[PDF- 1.4MB] These guidelines represent the first national document for HIV/STD prevention among Native American communities. The goal in the development of these guidelines was to reflect the perspectives of a diverse group of HIV/STD prevention specialists in Native communities, which include American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. This culturally fluent billboard – urging all to be tested and proudly displayed in Oklahoma – was developed by the Oklahoma Native American AIDS Coalition and Oklahoma Gay Natives organization. Native artist Frank Sheridan provided the art work. The Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund provided the resources for the leasing of the billboards and the signs. This may be the first billboard of its kind to promote HIV screening to the American Indian / Alaska Native (AI/AN) population and is a wonderful example of how advocacy, open discussion and raising awareness can have potential positive impact on future AI/AN health. Pictured standing is Ms Gloria Zuniga, RN, BSN, HIV/AIDS Program Director, Association of American Indian Physicians. Red Talon STD/HIV Resource Directory / Media Campaign / Tribal Advocacy Materials This page has multiple resources and information. It includes a directory, journal articles, media campaign, brochures, fact sheets, PowerPoint slides and tribal health curricula tool kits. The Red Talon project Media Campaign, “Stop the Silence offers posters, Public Service Announcements, websites, logos and PowerPoint presentations. The “Advocacy Kit” contains information about AI/AN STD rates, the social and economic impact of STDs on tribal communities, and steps that can be taken by tribal councils to improve school-based, clinic-based, and community-based prevention efforts. These are materials already developed to use for tribal leadership and advocacy! The resource directory also has multiple links to additional resources and is compiled specifically for prevention, care and treatment of American Indian /Alaska Natives.