Education Programs

The HIV Clinical Education Initiative

Program Description

The HIV Clinical Education Initiative (CEI) is designed to encourage and expand HIV clinical expertise among community clinical providers, managed care plans, substance use treatment programs, chronic care facilities, community hospitals, and home care/hospice programs. The Initiative has the following goals:

  1. Present comprehensive, specific clinical education/curricula that assists HIV clinicians in providing competent, sensitive, quality HIV care;
  2. Expand the base of primary care providers who can skillfully assess risk, confidently convey HIV/STD prevention messages, identify signs and symptoms of early HIV infection, and who will collaborate with HIV specialists;
  3. Disseminate new developments which affect HIV practice including NYS regulatory changes, AIDS Institute HIV Clinical Guidelines, policies, and quality of care principles and indicators to providers and sites across the continuum of healthcare;
  4. Foster collaborative relationships between HIV providers in ambulatory care settings, managed care organizations, and publicly funded HIV care sites with HIV Specialists throughout New York State;
  5. Offer the assistance of experienced and effective CEI peer consultants to provide on-site technical assistance in the implementation of regulatory changes and clinical guidelines.

Eleven (11) Clinical Education Centers have been established statewide. These programs provide progressive education through preceptorships, case conferences, regional conferences, and lecture series. Programs are primarily conducted on-site at community-based settings to maximize clinical staff attendance, involve all members of the clinical care team, and minimize disruption of clinical services.

Through its CEI-Line, the Initiative provides free access to HIV Clinical Specialists for practitioners who provide care to people with HIV/AIDS in community-based primary care settings. It gives clinicians the opportunity to discuss clinical management issues and current clinical practice guidelines with experienced HIV clinicians. In addition to CEI-Line services, each CEI Center is available by phone to consult with clinicians about the management of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

Since its inception, the HIV Clinical Education Initiative has trained thousands of community clinicians and health care workers and has supported the expansion of ambulatory HIV care services in the communities where they are most needed. In Contract Year 2004-2005, the Initiative reached 12,652 providers.

Funding

The HIV Clinical Education Initiative is supported by $1,600,000 in State funds.

Contacts:

HIV Clinical Education Coordinator
Office of the Medical Director
(315) 477-8479

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HIV/AIDS Training Services

Program Description

Non-physician health and human services providers require ongoing training to provide effective HIV prevention, care and support services. The HIV/AIDS Training Services, within the AIDS Institute's Office of the Medical Director, implements three distinct training initiatives to meet this need. Emphasis is placed on keeping pace with rapid advances in science, policy and program development.

Specific Initiatives include:

  • Regional Training Centers;
  • Centers of Expertise; and
  • Authorized Training Agencies.

Regional Training Centers

Ten Regional Training Centers provide roughly 500 training days to approximately 8,000 - 8,500 non-physician health and human services providers annually. Based on regional demand and on-going needs assessments, training centers offer courses from a menu of more than 30 trainings. Each training center regularly offers job-specific introductory training for staff who serve as community HIV/AIDS educators, HIV test counselors and case managers. Regional training centers are uniquely poised to provide training about new state regulations that affect HIV/AIDS services. New courses are continually being added to the menu. Some recent course additions include: Promoting Adherence to HIV Treatment; Domestic Violence in Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Communities; Mental Health Services: Ensuring Appropriate Referrals for HIV Positive Clients; and, HIV Disclosure: Deciding Who and When to Tell.

Training Program Registration Centers

Manhattan

  • Cicatelli Associates, Inc. - (212) 594-7741

Bronx/Queens/Bklyn/SI

  • NDRI, Inc. - (212) 845-4569

Manhattan, Bronx & limited Upstate NY

  • Latino Commission on AIDS - (212) 675-3288 ext. 300

Nassau/Suffolk

  • AIDS Education and Resource Center - (516) 444-3245

Lower/Mid-Hudson

  • AIDS Related Community Services - (914) 785-8364

Capital/North Country

  • Professional Development Program - (518) 591-8719

Syracuse Region

  • Signature Staff Development Resources - (315) 471-0564

Southern Tier

  • Broome County Department of Health - (607) 778-2874

Rochester Area

  • Monroe County Department of Health - (716) 274-6114

Buffalo Area

  • Erie County Department of Health - (716) 858-7691

Regional Training Center Comprehensive Training Data
1/1/2004-12/31/2004

Course Title Times Delivered Number Attending
Addressing the Needs of Current and Former Latino and African American Prisoners with HIV/AIDS/HCV 1 19
Basic Information about Domestic Violence 18 331
Community HIV/AIDS Educator Training 14 216
Confidentiality Law/Tailored 3 67
Cultural Diversity Training for Case Managers 12 245
Domestic Violence in Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Communities 12 219
Enhancing the Partnership Between Client and Case Manager 11 216
HIV and STDs 16 340
HIV Disclosure: Deciding Who and When to Tell 11 208
HIV Testing Procedures 33 876
HIV Testing Procedures for Rapid Tests 4 43
HIV/AIDS Update 5 99
HIV/AIDS Confidentiality Law 33 820
HIV/AIDS Treatment Update 5 122
Implementing HIV Reporting and Partner Notification 2 46
Implementing Rapid Testing 16 334
Introduction to Case Management 11 252
Mental Health Services: Ensuring Appropriate Referrals for HIV Positive Clients 7 123
Overview of HIV Infection and AIDS 41 1283
Overview of HIV/Tailored 8 314
Overview of TB and the TB/HIV Connection 7 136
Practicing the NYS Domestic Violence Screening Protocol 5 55
Promoting Adherence to HIV Treatment 6 112
Rapid HIV Testing in the Labor and Delivery Setting 10 109
Reducing Perinatal HIV Transmission in the Prenatal, Maternity and Newborn Settings 6 87
Reducing the Risk and Harm of HIV 12 253
Serving Families: From Assessments to Service Plans 4 70
Sexuality and HIV/AIDS / Tailored 4 122
Skills Practice and Implementation of Stage-Based Behavioral Counseling 5 78
Tailoring HIV Counseling and Testing to the Unique Needs of Adolescents 10 166
Testing Procedures / Tailored 2 35
The ABC's of Hepatitis and HIV 12 277
What's New in HIV/AIDS 20 452
Totals 370 8169

Centers of Expertise

In an effort to ensure the availability of advanced, state-of-the-art training in certain specialized topic areas, the AIDS Institute has established the following training Centers of Expertise:

  • HIV/AIDS Case Management;
  • Behavioral Social Science;
  • Harm Reduction;
  • Program Evaluation; and
  • HIV/AIDS Training of Trainers Programs.

Centers of Expertise possess significant demonstrated knowledge and experience in a specific topic area. They are charged with translating the latest findings in research and practice into skills-building trainings to further the capacity of health and human services providers to deliver prevention, care and support services to persons living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS.

Centers of Expertise in HIV/AIDS Case Management

Cicatelli Associates, Inc

  • (212) 594-7741

Center for Public Health Education

  • (631) 444-3245

Hunter College Center of AIDS, Drugs and Community Health

  • (212) 481-7672

The three Centers of Expertise in HIV/AIDS case management provide training to staff who work in case management programs. The Center for Public Health Education took the lead on updating core case management trainings and preparing regional training centers to offer these basic courses. Additionally, the Centers developed two new trainings: "HIV Disclosure: Deciding Who and When to Tell" and "The Psychosocial Needs of Women Living with HIV." Cicatelli Associates offers advanced training in case management; the Hunter College Center of AIDS, Drugs and Community Health focuses on training for case managers working with substance users and persons involved in the criminal justice system.

Centers of Expertise in Behavioral Social Science

  • Center for Health and Behavioral Training - 585/530-4382

The Center for Health and Behavioral Training offers advanced courses in behavioral counseling that build upon the skills that participants learn in the "Reducing the Risk and Harm of HIV" training that is offered by the regional training centers. They are also funded as a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Training Center and as such are poised to offer important new trainings that teach specific behavioral interventions found to be effective by the CDC. This approach ensures a coordinated continuum of training services and affords health and human services providers with opportunities for on-going professional development.

Centers of Expertise in Harm Reduction

  • Harm Reduction Coalition - 212/683-2334

The Harm Reduction Center of Expertise provides baseline training in harm reduction followed by specific advanced topics such as street outreach to high risk youth, medical complications of substance use, and successfully housing substance users.

Center of Expertise in Program Evaluation

  • University of Rochester - 585/273-2586

The University of Rochester works closely with the AIDS Institute to provide community-based organizations with training in program evaluation. The University offers a series of trainings and technical assistance for program coordinators at AIDS Institute funded community-based organizations. After an initial two or four day intensive training, participants are charged with developing an evaluation project to evaluate some aspect of their current services. Technical assistance is available via phone and e-mail. Participants return 6 - 8 weeks after the initial training for a one day training in which they present the findings of their project.

Center of Expertise HIV/AIDS Training of Trainers Programs (TOT)

  • Signature Staff Development Resources - 315/471-0564

To improve the quality of HIV/AIDS training programs, the Center of Expertise in HIV/AIDS Training of Trainers prepares community-based organizations to offer selected AIDS Institute approved training programs, including "HIV Test Counselor Training," "Overview of HIV and AIDS," and "Community HIV/AIDS Educator" training. Community-based organization staff attend a training of trainers (TOT) program and receive AIDS Institute training materials. In order to be approved to offer trainings, trainees must pass a knowledge test and demonstrate training skills. Upon successful completion of the TOT, these agencies become "Authorized Training Agencies" (ATAs). In addition to providing the initial TOT, Signature Staff Development Resources also offers periodic HIV/AIDS informational updates and has developed a quality improvement process and related materials for use by all ATAs.

Authorized Training Agencies

Authorized Training Agencies (ATAs) are community-based organizations with expertise in HIV/AIDS and willingness to provide HIV/AIDS training to their own staff and/or to providers or the general community in their region. To date there are more than 50 hospitals, community-based organizations, county health departments, and other organizations that serve as ATAs. ATAs do not receive specific funding from the AIDS Institute to provide training but they receive training and on­going support. ATAs are prepared to offer one or more of the following AIDS Institute approved courses: "HIV Test Counselor Training," "Overview of HIV and AIDS", and "Community HIV/AIDS Educator." ATAs are able to tailor delivery of these training programs to meet the busy schedules of providers and they are critical to meeting the training needs of the HIV/AIDS work force in New York State.

Funding

HIV/AIDS Education and Training Programs are supported by $1,929,896 in combined state and federal funds.

Contact:

HIV Education and Training Programs
Office of the Medical Director
(518) 474-3045

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The Nicholas A. Rango HIV Clnical Scholars Program

Program Description

The Nicholas A. Rango HIV Clinical Scholars Program is a special post-graduate training program designed to train clinicians in the management of HIV disease and the public health aspects of the HIV epidemic. The program is uniquely devoted to the development of highly qualified, broadly trained physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and dentists who have the commitment and skills needed for leadership in the rapidly changing field of HIV.

The program, a collaboration between the AIDS Institute and selected academic medical centers, offers several training options. While focused on HIV ambulatory care, the program also offers concentrations in urban health or substance use and may be coupled with a fellowship or the pursuit of a relevant advanced degree.

The program requires a full-time, two-year commitment that includes intensive academic, clinical, and independent study components. Clinical preceptors, who are experts in the field of HIV medicine, are assigned to the scholars and supervise their inpatient and outpatient clinical experiences. Clinical rotations, required and elective, are scheduled in both AIDS Designated Care Center hospitals and community-based sites.

Lecture and seminar series are scheduled at both the AIDS Institute and participating hospitals. Each scholar participates in an academic core curriculum in AIDS care and a lecture series on public health and policy. Special topic seminars and conferences are offered at hospital training sites throughout the fellowship. Attendance at professional seminars and State and national conferences is encouraged and supported.

An independent study/research project is completed by each scholar under the supervision of a mentor. A final report of the project activity is required for completion of the fellowship.

Scholars are selected through a competitive process and receive a stipend, full benefits, and depending upon the option chosen, tuition support. To graduate, scholars must complete all required components of the program, i.e., attain a high level of competence in the clinical setting; participate in the core curriculum and didactic clinical lectures; complete an independent study project; and achieve a passing grade on a written clinical competency examination.

Funding

The Clinical Scholars Program is supported by $1,489,000 State funds for fiscal year 2005-2006.

Contact:

Nicholas A. Rango HIV Clinical Scholars Program
Office of the Medical Director
(518) 473-8815

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HIV Connect: Distance Learning Initiative

Program Description

The HIV Education and Training Section of the AIDS Institute's Office of the Medical Director coordinates an on-going distance learning initiative designed to explore the use of technology to meet the diverse training needs of the HIV/AIDS work force.

Distance learning involves the provision of training to individuals located in "classrooms" that are spread across a defined geographical region. Currently, a variety of technologies can be used to accomplish training via distance learning, including satellite-based videoconferences, Local Area Network (LAN)-based interactive videoconferences using Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) technology, audio conferences, and computer-based training using interactive CD ROM or web-based technology.

The HIV Education and Training Section seeks to remain on the cutting edge of distance learning and designs specific programs to evaluate use of the technology for HIV/AIDS-related provider training. Components of the Distance Learning Initiative (DLI) include:

  • develops, delivers and evaluates statewide video-conferences on critical emerging topics;
  • works with other State agencies to offer training on emerging issues;
  • expands and advertises the availability of national HIV/AIDS video-conferences produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Public Health Training Network and other organizations through regional down-link sites throughout New York;
  • provides consultation to other State and national organizations regarding the use of distance learning technology for HIV/AIDS-related provider training; and
  • explores the use of web-based applications to provide HIV/ADS training.

One example of the DLI took place on April 24, 2004 when a CDC-sponsored satellite broadcast was down linked: Prevention with Positives: HIV Risk Reduction Strategies for Health Care Providers, April 29, 2004. This program was attended by 152 providers at 18 sites across the state.

Contact:

HIV Education and Training Programs
Office of the Medical Director
(518) 474-3045

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People Living with HIV/AIDS Leadership Training Institute (LTI)

Program Description

The New York State Department of Health, AIDS Institute and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygeine have allocated resources to develop and implement a training program that strengthens the leadership capabilities of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PWHA).

The mission of the PWHA Leadership Training Institute (LTI) is to provide training, skills-building, motivation, and education to PWHA in community organizing, HIV advocacy, and public policy development. Conceived and developed by people living with HIV/AIDS, the PWHA LTI supports the development of involved and effective HIV-positive community leaders. The LTI offers individuals living with HIV/AIDS: a safe space to explore individual leadership strengths and goals; a better understanding of leadership opportunities in the AIDS community; experience in problem solving approaches to community issues; a strengthened ability to have a voice in the processes that determine what AIDS services are appropriate and needed; and an increased sense of personal empowerment. Eligibility for participation in the LTI is limited to individuals living with HIV/AIDS who are: interested in getting involved in AIDS-related advisory and planning groups; already involved but feel a need for additional training/education on how these groups operate; and interested in learning how to organize within their communities.

More than 1,250 individuals throughout New York State have participated in the LTI's "Core" training since its inception in August 1997. The LTI "Core" training is a three-day introduction to community leadership issues for PWHA. It includes History of PWHA Advocacy in New York State; Effective Leadership; and Identity, Diversity and Disclosure. Participants are encouraged to discover their own leadership potential in the AIDS community. LTI "Core" graduates are eligible to apply for a variety of advanced topic workshops that are designed to increase their knowledge of advocacy opportunities and develop individual skills. Advanced topics include: Community Advisory Boards (CABs): What You Need to Know About Being a Member; Presentation Skills; Community Planning: Understanding the Process; Working Effectively in Groups; and CAB Leadership Skills.

Evaluation

The evaluation of the Leadership Training Institute program includes pre-intervention and short-term post-intervention assessments. Specific items included in the self-administered questionnaires measure pre-intervention advocacy activities, self-efficacy beliefs on activities relevant to training, general self-efficacy (self-esteem), and dimensions of self-empowerment (internal and external). All measures have been adapted from current behavioral science literature on empowerment and leadership. A comparison of indicators taken before and after the training provides information pertaining to the short-term impact of the LTI training.

Pre-intervention questionnaires were administered at all "Core" training sessions. All participants completed pre-intervention assessments. More than half (54%) of participants who completed pre-intervention assessments were male; 57 % were African American, 18% were Caucasian, and 16% were Latino/a. More than one-third (33%) of the participants had completed high school and approximately one-quarter (24%) had attended 1-2 years of college. Lastly, approximately 50% identified themselves as heterosexual, 30% identified themselves as gay or bisexual men, and 6% of the participants identified themselves as bisexual. About 43% reported a history of substance use. Evaluation of the individual modules and the overall core and advanced trainings offered were, in general, extremely favorable.

Six-Month Follow-up Evaluation

Participants are asked to participate in a telephone interview six months after the LTI "Core" training program to assess long-term impact. Respondents to the six-month follow-up questionnaire (approximately 45% completed questionnaires) reported an overall increase in participation in community activities since completing the LTI. Approximately seventy-eight percent of respondents reported that they had increased their involvement with HIV/AIDS-related organizations. A majority also said that they had enlarged their social network to better conduct advocacy/community organization activities (72%) and became members/volunteers on community advisory boards (51%). Participants in the six-month follow-up gave high ratings to the LTI experience with over 90% saying that they found the overall training very useful in developing their role as community organizers. Feedback from participants indicated that many changes have occurred at the personal level, including increased self-confidence and feelings of self-empowerment. Participants stressed that they were able to handle a wide range of situations, were able to articulate concerns, felt more respected and prepared to address personal challenges. Most participants indicated that they were able to overcome barriers and were successful in increasing their community involvement, including volunteering in various organizations and serving on community advisory boards with AIDS service organizations, Ryan White Title II Consortia, Title I Planning Councils, and HIV Prevention Planning Groups. A large percentage said that they found the specific modules covering Identity and HIV (82 %) and Leadership (85%) to be very useful.

Funding

This initiative is supported by approximately $682,000 in combined federal Ryan White Title I and Title II funds.

Contact:

Consumer Advocate
Division of HIV Health Care
(518) 473-8778
(877) 874-0776 (toll-free)