Mission Statement
The New Hampshire HIV Community Planning Group (NHCPG) seeks to promote effective HIV care and prevention programs in the State of New Hampshire. Through an ongoing and informed participatory process we seek to improve the quality of life for individuals living with HIV/AIDS infection and to reduce the further spread of HIV/AIDS infection.
HIV Community Planning in New Hampshire is an on-going process in which the state health department shares responsibility for developing a comprehensive HIV prevention and care plan with other governmental and non-governmental agencies and representatives of communities and groups at risk for HIV infection or already infected.
This participatory process is guided by the principles of getting people from different walks of life, and different interest that can represent those infected and impacted by HIV/AIDS. Key components of Community Planning include:
- Membership that is representative of all stakeholders;
- An attitude that values and uses differences; and
- Shared learning, input, responsibility and decision-making.
What Does the NHCPG Do?
As a planning group, we strive to reflect in our composition the characteristics of the current and future HIV epidemics. The group is comprised of prevention providers, care providers and community representatives from across the state. The group includes persons at risk for and living with HIV/AIDS. In partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Community and Public Health (OCPH) we work to:
- Assess the present and future extent, distribution and impact of HIV/AIDS
- Assess existing community resources for HIV prevention and care services
- Identify unmet HIV prevention needs
- Identify gaps in services
- Examine the potential impact of specific strategies and interventions to prevent new HIV infections
- Prioritize prevention needs and care services
- Develop and update a Comprehensive HIV Care and Prevention Plan
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the planning process
In addition to membership on the NHCPG, interested people can participate in the community planning process in multiple ways:
- Serving on Committees and Work Groups
- Serving as NHCPG Advisors
- Participating in Multicultural Advisory Groups
- Providing Public Input
- Providing relevant data to the NHCPG
- Reviewing materials based on areas of expertise and experience
- Participating in or assisting with focus groups
- Spreading the word about HIV Prevention Community Planning
The History Of HIV Prevention Planning
HIV Prevention Planning began as a national initiative started in 1994 by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assure that the people most impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic had the opportunity to join with state and territorial health departments, forming a partnership to facilitate participatory planning.
Participatory planning for HIV prevention is designed to secure a broad range of perspectives, build consensus and mobilize resources to make decisions about HIV prevention programs.
The History of Care Services Planning
The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act was enacted in 1990 by Public Law that requires the delivery of health care services and support to people living with HIV/AIDS in the country. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) oversee this Act. The CARE Act stresses the role of local planning and decision making-with broad community involvement-to determines how to best meet HIV/AIDS care needs.
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