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Central Oregon STI/HIV Prevention Public Health Collaborative

Program Timeline: July 2022 – December 2024
PROJECT AIM

Assure high-quality STI/HIV prevention, care and treatment free from stigma and discrimination, while reducing prevalence and promoting health equity by eliminating disparities.

 
 
 
 

The sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates have gradually been on the rise over the past 10 years with a significant increase in case rates in 2021. Through further analysis we will find that there are certain racial and ethnic minority communities that are more impacted by STIs/HIV than others. This project will further define communities disproportionately impacted by STIs. Local public health departments are required to respond to reportable diseases including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV. The focus of this programming is to provide case investigation and partner services, working to ensure all cases and contacts have access to testing and treatment as needed. The investigators take the time to assess risk factors, provide culturally responsive education and make referrals to needed services. In addition, Deschutes County has funding for HIV Prevention and for four years there was funding through the HIV Early Intervention Services and Outreach Grant for a regional project. Beginning January 1, 2022, OHA no longer supported regional projects with HIV funds but expanded funding to all counties, which are intended to support disease investigation work. Deschutes County has funding for HIV Prevention as well as HIV Early Intervention Services and Outreach to support a full time STI/HIV Prevention Coordinator. Leveraging this position to work alongside the project coordinator for this grant will broaden the reach of the project and allow for prevention work to continue and expand in Crook and Jefferson Counties, where there is no current funding for prevention.

2020-2024 Regional Health Improvement Plan Priority Area

Promote Enhanced Physical Health Across Communities

Future State Measure

Decrease Sexually Transmitted Infections

Project Details

Priority Area and Organizations Involved

 

What We Want to Accomplish

 
  • To begin the project, we will need to recruit for the project coordinator. The epidemiologist position will need to be reassigned a portion of their time to work on regional STI data projects.
  • Consistency in documentation of cases and contacts in the state database (Orpheus). Identification of target groups and increased access for these groups over project period.
  • Development of a regional Advisory Group to increase community participation, direct priority setting and adoption of community designed STI prevention strategies. Membership sustained over project period.
  • Increase communication and outreach to the Latinx population.
  • Increase provider education, awareness and training in the region to increase STI/HIV testing. Increasing provider training in cultural competency and humility can help reduce health inequities and disparities.
  • All Central Oregon youth has equal access to sexual health education that is research based and medically accurate. 
 

Project Description

 
Crook County Health Department is requesting funds to support an STI regional coordinator position and a portion of an STI epidemiologist position. These positions will focus on improving STI data entry and analysis, addressing STI/HIV health equity issues, increasing STI/HIV health literacy, and establishing community partnerships with the overall goal of improving STI rates. The tri-county region has a strong history of partnership and collaboration through the HIV Early Intervention Services and Outreach grant and more recent OHA funding to Jefferson and Crook Counties for disease investigation.
The epidemiologist position will work to improve quality, accessibility, timeliness and use of data related to STIs and social determinants of health to provide program guidance and set priorities. They will improve processes to measure, monitor, evaluate, report, and disseminate progress toward achieving programmatic goals. Access to more consistent, timely data will help to understand which populations are facing disparities within local jurisdictions and provide guidance in developing strategic plans and collaborating with partners and community based organizations that can best help to address those disparities.
The project coordinator position will work in local jurisdictions to assess youth sexual health education and advocate for best practices and the Oregon Department of Education state standards. STI/HIV prevention and sexuality education supports positive physical and mental health of youth as they grow into young adults. Schools and youth serving organizations play an important role in STI/HIV prevention and sexuality education for youth to promote healthy lifestyles.
The project coordinator will work with the Deschutes County STI/HIV Prevention Coordinator to convene a regional Advisory Group with focused workgroups for projects. The Advisory Group will help set priorities and direction and expand community participation. The Goup will work to assure representation from communities at risk and to amplify the voices within those communities who are underrepresented and facing health disparities and inequities.
Participation in community engagement and partnership development with key organizations to enhance and expand STI/HIV prevention efforts is a priority for this project. The position will work to form partnerships and collaboration between public health, tribal communities, health care, community-based organizations, educational institutions, and community leaders - with emphasis on those who serve and represent populations disproportionately affected by the adverse health effects of STI/HIV in our region.
The project will work with regional organizations like Oregon Aids Education and Training Centers and HIV Alliance to provide trainings, support, and guidelines to the provider community to increase prevention and testing for STIs/HIV. Oregon Aids Education and Training Centers provides interactive, on-site clinical training to build provider capacity. Available trainings include sexual orientation and gender identity, engaging patients who inject drugs, trauma informed care as well as collecting a sexual history and screening for STIs/HIV. HIV Alliance provides HIV prevention through PrEP navigation within the region.
 

 
 

Equity and This Project

Health disparities occur when there are higher rates of disease among certain population groups compared to other groups. Differences may occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education, income, disability, geographic location, sexual orientation, and gender identity among others. Social determinants of health like poverty, unequal access to health care, lack of access to health education, disproportionate incarceration rates, stigma and racism are linked to health disparities. Analyzing data from reportable cases and contacts regionally will help to identify communities experiencing health disparities in each unique county. These findings will be presented to the Advisory Group to create objectives and workplans to address the needs of communities experiencing health disparities. The project will engage and establish partnerships to increase trust in the healthcare system, decrease discrimination and increase referral systems to resources for clients and communities in need.

The STD/HIV Advisory Group that has served the Central Oregon region over the past 3 years will be utilized. The Advisory Group has had representation from the following communities and partners: OUTCentralOregon, LGBTQ members, Human Dignity Coalition, Latino Community Assoc., Deschutes Co. Jail provider, Mosaic mobile clinic provider, Jefferson Co. Health Dept., Crook Co. Health Dept., and others. The funding will help to build new and deepen established relationships with community organizations who serve impacted communities. Providing education and resources for testing and referral to these organizations will serve to increase access to health care and health literacy. Working with these organizations to understand the needs of communities will direct outreach. This project will strive to include all impacted communities to participate on the Advisory Group or within workgroups specific to communities impacted by STIs/HIV or jurisdictions with unique communities and needs.

 

 
 Equity
 
Objectives
Hire and begin training for project coordinator by July 1st. The project coordinator along with the Deschutes County STI/HIV Prevention Coordinator will recruit members representing communities with disparities and convene its first regional Advisory Group by September 1st, 2022.
Perform quality analysis of 2021 data and identify gaps and/or inconsistencies in data in the tri-county region and create a data dictionary based on findings in the quality analysis by 12/31/22.
Work with Oregon Aids Education and Training Center and HIV Alliance to 5 provide trainings by 12/31/22. Set realistic goal for number of trainings through 2024 by 12/31/22.
Assess sexual health education in the region and alignment with the sexual health requirements and state standards by 12/31/23.
 
The coordinators will have two planning meetings with Familias en Acción, Latino Community Association and Volunteers in Medicine by 10/1/22.
 
Reporting Timeline
A Year One Report will be available in January 2023
A Final Report will be available in February 2025
Outcomes will be shared under “What We’re Learning” after February 2025