Marcella Zimmerman’s Post

Share your experience on testing and self-testing for PrEP! The World Health Organization (WHO) is updating its Consolidated guidelines on HIV testing services to develop up-to-date guidance on HIV testing services (HTS) to support PrEP service delivery. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ebRREeg5

In front-line health care real improvements can be made when people pay attention to how they analyse the situation, and (especially) how they collaborate with colleagues. This means they can make better use of their managers, and give meaningful support (and critique) to health service leaders. Ira Chaleff calls this 'followership', but it's not the label that matters: it's the sustained ability of clinical teams to implement the changes that bring tangible improvements in health outcomes. In this Compendium of 'spotlights' we illustrate some of the ways this has been achieved in a particular aspect of HIV prevention - VMMC - in Zimbabwe. This work was done as part of a project called OPTIMISE (before and through the Covid years), by many people in the Gwanda, Hwange, Lupane, Matobo, and Nyanga District Task Teams and their colleagues in the Provincial and National levels of the Ministry of Health and Child Care. Amanda Marr Chung led the effort and compiled this compendium (and most of the publications to follow); Joseph Murungu, PRECIOUS CHITAPI, Rudo Chikodzore and Tatenda Ruwuyu led the project in Zimbabwe, with more-than-background support of Prof. Peter Case, Priscilla Mataure, Dr Greyling Viljoen, Roly Gosling, Bruce Agins and many others. The original design of the initiative (much adapted in use) is an application of approaches from our One Planet Leadership Programs combined with HEALTHQUAL, a quality improvement program based at UCSF. Some of the 'spotlights' featured were developed as part of a post-graduate certificate in change leadership offered by the University of the West of England  

As of June 30, 2020, most health insurers are required to cover the cost of PrEP, clinical care, and lab visits with no cost sharing. This means no copays, coinsurance, or deductibles for medication and essential support services, including provider visits, labs, HIV and STI screenings, pregnancy tests, and adherence counseling. However, some insurers have yet to comply. These costs can be a major barrier to those in need of PrEP. If you’re still being charged, click on the right to get in touch so we can help address the problem. If you are still being charged copays, coinsurance, or deductibles for your PrEP care, please fill out the form linked below. By completing this form, we will be able to report non-compliance to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure that enforcement is carried out immediately. https://lnkd.in/eTVqbt7v

Consultancy Call! Call for Consultancy. Legal Environment Analysis and Policy Briefs on Age of Consent to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Adolescents and Young People in East and Southern Africa East and Southern Africa is home to two-thirds of all Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV (aged 15-24), with an estimated 430,000 young people acquiring HIV every year1. 82% of the 2 million young people living with HIV aged 10-19 are in Southern Africa, meaning that the scale and burden of the challenges outlined above are greater for individuals, families, communities and governments in this region. Research conducted in many parts of the world shows that several legal and human rights barriers hinder access to and uptake of HIV services for adolescents. Key among these barriers are Age of Consent legislation and policies. Recent global guidelines have, therefore, explicitly called on countries to examine their current policies and consider revising them to address age-related barriers to access and uptake of the overall SRH services, HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) and to linkages to prevention, treatment, and care. The ESA region has made significant progress in developing policy frameworks to address the SRHR needs of adolescents and youth. These policy frameworks recognize the importance of promoting adolescent and youth friendly SRHR services, comprehensive sexuality education, and addressing the social determinants that affect young people's health and well-being. for full details, please follow the link below: https://lnkd.in/dJg56rh4

📊 Step-by-Step Introduction to Analyzing DHS Data (Part 1) 🛠️ Step 1: Select Surveys for Analysis Which surveys are you interested in using? You can choose from a list of surveys by: Country 🌍 Type of Survey 📝 Year 📅 Survey Characteristics 🔍 (e.g., surveys that included HIV testing or the Domestic Violence module) Or use the full survey search 🔎: https://lnkd.in/g29C8hQG 📝 Step 2: Review Questionnaires: https://lnkd.in/gKcXviae Familiarize yourself with the questionnaires used to collect the data you want to analyze. Model questionnaires are used for each survey phase, but each country modifies the core questionnaire slightly to meet their needs. The questionnaires used for a specific survey are always included at the back of each survey's final report: https://lnkd.in/gBFcwpSg. 📚 📥 Step 3: Register for Dataset Access All DHS datasets are free to download and use. To download datasets, you must complete a short registration form. Remember your username and password; you can use them later to log in quickly and register for access to additional datasets. 🔐 Register for dataset access: https://lnkd.in/g_4MjehT (Source: DHS Youtube Channel) The next steps will be presented in Part 2. Abdul-Aziz Seidu, PhD REMS Consultancy Services The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program USAID ICF

In recognition of HIV-AIDS Awareness Month & #WorldAIDSDay, our new blog highlights #HealthEquity challenges and how #PriorAuth software enables smoother care pathways. #FixPriorAuth #EndTheStigma https://hubs.ly/Q02b0nCt0

Join Hepatitis Elimination Webinar on Aug 2nd - The importance of screening Pregnant Women and Key Population"

Don't miss out! Join us TODAY for the crucial webinar on Understanding HIV Epidemic Trends! Gain insights into the latest trends and challenges surrounding the HIV epidemic. Hear from leading experts on prevention, treatment, and care strategies. Ask your questions and engage in a meaningful discussion about this critical topic. #HIV #HIVprevention #webinar #knowledgeispower #SSLN

📣 Final call! Tomorrow (14 June) is your last opportunity to submit your abstract for a new supplement by the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) on “Person-centred HIV prevention: Supporting people vulnerable to HIV acquisition through tailored programming, service delivery and prevention products”. ✅ Find out more and submit your abstract today! #HIV #abstract #journal

📣 Only 1 week remains to submit an abstract for a new supplement by the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) on “Person-centred HIV prevention: Supporting people vulnerable to HIV acquisition through tailored programming, service delivery and prevention products”! ✅ Find out more and submit your abstract by 14 June! #HIV #PutPeopleFirst #abstract