HIV/AIDS

Provides leadership, policy development and technical assistance that supports education and prevention services through 67 county health departments and 31 community-based organizations. Supports a statewide Community Planning Group that develops a comprehensive prevention plan; oversees public health HIV counseling, testing and partner notification services and conducts epidemiological research. Promotes implementation of treatment protocols for HIV-infected pregnant women; provides and promotes community-based patient care services to persons infected with HIV. Collects and maintains surveillance data to analyze trends and conduct special investigations to support prevention initiatives at the local level; allocates prevention, early intervention, surveillance and patient care resources statewide. Implements the statewide Ryan White Care Act Consortia and ADAP Program. Implements the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program. Oversees the Hepatitis Prevention Program.

HIV/AIDS is a life-threatening disease that attacks the body's immune system and leaves the patient vulnerable to opportunistic infections. Because there is no cure, stopping the spread of HIV, the causative virus, while minimizing its effect in those infected, is critical. The Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of HIV/AIDS has developed one of the nation's most comprehensive programs for HIV/AIDS surveillance, education, prevention, early intervention, counseling, testing, care and treatment.  This coordinated approach in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS and in providing care and treatment to those already infected, has been very successful in reducing the state’s HIV/AIDS rates.  The five program components of the Bureau of HIV/AIDS are Surveillance, Prevention, Early Intervention, Patient Care and Hepatitis, along with the Operations and Management Section that functions as a support unit for the entire Bureau.

HIV/AIDS Surveillance:

• The major activities of the surveillance section include coordinating HIV/AIDS case finding and investigation, maintaining the confidential HIV/AIDS case registry, and designing and conducting special HIV/AIDS epidemiologic studies. These activities provide information to monitor and characterize HIV/AIDS trends, and clarify the distribution of HIV infection in special populations or selected groups to assist in developing, targeting and evaluating education, prevention and patient care programs.
• Implementation of physician and laboratory reporting of HIV began on July 1, 1997.
• Epidemiologic profiles are developed for each community planning area for needs assessment and planning activities.
• For HIV/AIDS data please visit http://www.doh.state.fl.us/disease_ctrl/aids/trends/trends.html.

• HIV prevention strategies are provided statewide and include education, counseling, outreach, prevention case management, referrals, and evidence-based interventions through programs in county health departments and community-based organizations.
• Statewide community planning efforts have resulted in the development of a comprehensive prevention plan addressing statewide and regional needs.
• More than 12 million condoms are distributed each year, to people who are most at risk of becoming HIV infected.
• Using state AIDS funds, the Florida AIDS Hotline for English, Spanish and Haitian Creole speaking Floridians receives more than 7,000 calls per year. A TDD/TTY line for the hearing impaired is also available. The hotline also receives over 27,000 visitors to its website each year.
• HIV prevention projects are implemented statewide. These projects include community-based, non-profit organizations; county health departments and minority HIV prevention projects. Contractual arrangements are made with minority community-based organizations and AIDS service organizations.
• Client-centered counseling services are provided, including risk reduction counseling, assisting the client in developing a personalized prevention plan and referrals to care and other needed services. In addition, HIV/STD Partner Services play a vital role in outreach to persons most at risk for HIV infection, including those who do not know their status. Contacts are offered information on prevention and on the benefits of early treatment with new medications.
• There are over 1,600 registered HIV counseling and testing sites statewide, including 174 anonymous sites statewide. The Department of Health, Bureau of HIV/AIDS and the Department of Children and Families, Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Program have established 17 counseling and testing programs in drug treatment centers to target substance abusers. Over 330,000 HIV tests are performed yearly through the counseling and testing system and close to four million tests have been performed since the testing program was implemented.
• Pregnant women are tested for HIV at their initial prenatal care visit and again at 28 to 32 weeks gestation. Women who do not receive HIV testing after 27 weeks gestation will receive a rapid HIV test during labor and delivery. Through our extensive efforts to educate medical providers and their patients about the importance of prenatal testing and appropriate treatment for HIV-infected pregnant women, the number of HIV-infected newborns has dropped dramatically.
  

• Client-centered counseling services are provided, including risk reduction counseling, assisting the client in developing a personalized prevention plan and referrals to care and other needed services. In addition, partner counseling and referral services play a vital role in outreach to persons most at risk for HIV infection, including those who do not know their status. Contacts are offered information on prevention and on the benefits of early treatment with new medications.
• There are over 1,600 registered HIV counseling and testing sites statewide, including 174 anonymous sites statewide. The Department of Health, Bureau of HIV/AIDS and the Department of Children and Families, Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Program have established 17 counseling and testing programs in drug treatment centers to target substance abusers. Approximately 240,000 HIV tests are performed yearly through the counseling and testing system and close to two million tests have been performed since the testing program was implemented.
• An aggressive effort to encourage pregnant women to be tested for HIV so that HIV positive women may take antiretroviral treatment to reduce vertical transmission to their infants is also beginning to show results--the number of pediatric cases in the state is declining.

• Medical care, pharmaceuticals, dental services, mental health counseling, case management and many other support services are being provided to persons living with HIV through regional HIV care consortia, patient care networks and county health departments.

• The AIDS Insurance Continuation Program assumes payment of private insurance premiums for HIV-infected individuals who can no longer afford them. This program provides the client with continuity of care and saves the state approximately $7 for every dollar spent.

• The AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) provides pharmaceuticals to low-income, uninsured, non-Medicaid eligible persons with HIV/AIDS in Florida. All antiretrovirals and many other drugs to prevent opportunistic infection and side effects are available through this program.

• Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) is a program which provides temporary mortgage, rent and utility assistance to eligible individuals with HIV/AIDS.