HIV/AIDS Program Office

The HIV/AIDS Program Office coordinates HIV/AIDS planning, contracts, and program development and evaluation in support of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. The Program Office, primarily covering Hernando, Hillsborough, and Manatee Counties, serves as the liaison to the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Communicable Diseases, HIV/AIDS Section. The Program Office manages provider contracts for HIV/AIDS patient care, prevention, and early intervention services in the region.

Early Intervention Activities

Program Office staff are responsible for training counselors for publicly funding HIV testing sites. Other early intervention activities include and establishing, coordinating, maintaining, and evaluating HIV counseling, testing, and linkage sites in the area, as well as for Hardee, Highlands, Pasco, Pinellas, and Polk Counties. 

Minority AIDS Initiatives

The Minority AIDS Coordinator provides technical assistance, capacity building, community mobilization services, and education on HIV/AIDS patient care, prevention, and early intervention issues to minority-based organizations, faith-based institutions, and the community at-large. This program covers the same eight counties as early intervention.

Health Education

Trainers from the HIV/AIDS Program Office provide science-based prevention and linkage to care interventions in Hillsborough County, taking into account the target populations and prevention interventions implemented by community providers. The following links are to the interventions most commonly provided by DOH-Hillsborough staff.

Resources

The following are very useful web sites dedicated to providing current and accurate HIV/AIDS information:

• Center for Disease Control - HIV/AIDS provides comprehensive HIV/AIDS information on statistics, transmission, treatment, patient care, prevention, research, disease facts, counseling and testing, funding and national conferences.
• National Prevention Information Network is a resource for educational materials including fact sheets, FAQs, brochures, videos, books, reports, posters and various other prevention items.
• West Central Florida Ryan White Care Councilis a planning body that assesses needs, plans, allocates resources, and evaluates HIV/AIDS patient care services for Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Polk Counties.