Change Begins With Me…HIV Ends With Us

About The Regional Forum on Black Women and HIV/AIDS in Texas

The TB/HIV/STD Unit at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in partnership with the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) will be hosting a regional forum titled “Black Women and HIV/AIDS in Texas: Change Begins With Me…HIV Ends With Us” on October 20-22 in Houston, TX.

The goal of this regional forum is to strengthen the ability of DSHS and their partners to effectively administer and implement HIV/AIDS programs for Black Women.

This will be accomplished by convening state representatives, health department staff and community stakeholders, to explore common ground, and identify current programming gaps and potential solutions. The meeting provides a foundation for regional teams to strengthen partnerships and collaborate more effectively to implement program specifically for Black women.

The lessons learned from this meeting will help guide a year-long comprehensive technical assistance relationship between DSHS and each regional team around issues impacting the implementation of HIV/AIDS programs for Black Women.

Objectives

To convene a meeting of local health department staff, community based organizations, federal partners, and other key stakeholders to discuss issues impacting HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment for Black Women
To provide a platform for participants to share strategies and lessons learned around the implementation of effective HIV/AIDS programs for Black Women
To support participants in the development of an action plan to help guide their efforts to address the impact of HIV/AIDS among Black Women in their region
To establish a year-long comprehensive technical assistance relationship between DSHS and participants around issues that affect the implementation of HIV/AIDS programs targeting Black Women

Invited Texas Regions (8 Teams)

Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Golden Triangle, 4/5N-Northeast, and Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Team Responsibilities

During the regional forum, each team will be responsible for developing an action plan which describes how they will move forward in addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS among Black women in their region.

Team Composition

The Regional Forum on Black Women and HIV/AIDS in Texas planning committee will pay for and reimburse travel expenses for up to six representatives from each region (health department representatives and relevant community stakeholders) who are passionate about addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS among black women in their region.

These representatives should be dedicated and willing to stay engaged throughout the process of developing and implementing their team’s action plan. Teams are welcome to bring additional participants at their own expense. Team composition will vary due to differences in jurisdictional configuration.

Team composition examples: