HRSA Issues Letter on HIV/AIDS Program Service Limitations
On April 7, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) issued a letter to Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) grant recipients and stakeholders that reaffirms the program’s commitment to funding evidence-based interventions for HIV, including outpatient care, antiretroviral therapies and support services. The letter recommits to the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, a plan to reduce new HIV infections by 75% by 2025 and 90% by 2030, initiated during President Trump’s first term in office, while also reversing guidance on programmatic fund use issued by the previous administration. 

Grant recipients are advised to use funds exclusively toward evidence-based interventions proven to combat HIV, sustain viral suppression, and improve the quality of life for those living with the disease, for services that include outpatient medical care, antiretroviral therapies, and essential support services such as case management, housing assistance, and substance use disorder treatment.

Breaking with previous guidance, the communication identifies a 2021 letter to RWHAP program stakeholders, which shared access pathways for gender-affirming care and hormone therapy through the program, as misinterpreting RWHAP’s allowable uses. The new letter also states that surgeries and inpatient care remain out of scope for the program, which aligns with the 2021 letter’s specification that the program is limited to outpatient ambulatory care.

Staff contact: Lia Daniels

ISHMPR Calls for Speakers, Sponsors for Healthcare Marketing Conference
The Illinois Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations (ISHMPR) is calling for speakers and sponsors for its upcoming Fall Conference on Sept. 17-18 at the Herrington Inn & Spa in Geneva. 

The ISHMPR Fall Conference is a two-day event where professionals from across Illinois will gather to grow, learn and connect under the theme “Rooted in Strategy. Blooming with Creativity.”

ISHMPR is currently seeking dynamic speakers, innovative sponsors and engaging exhibitors who want to connect with healthcare marketing decision-makers in an inspiring riverfront setting. For speaker, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, click here and here for more information. 

IHA Webinar: DHS Program Offers Free Naloxone Kits for Hospital Patients
Illinois hospitals have an opportunity to save lives by participating in a state program offering free take-home naloxone kits to patients at risk of an opioid overdose at discharge. An IHA webinar on May 29, “Take-Home Naloxone: Creating Access and Saving Lives,” will address the scope of Illinois’ overdose epidemic and the benefits of hospital participation in the program.
 
The Illinois Dept. of Human Services (DHS) recently streamlined the reporting portal for its take-home naloxone program through the Illinois Drug Overdose Prevention Program, after IHA advocated for changes during last spring’s state legislative session.
 
IHA’s complimentary webinar, from 11 a.m.-noon CT, will also offer strategies to implement a successful take-home naloxone program—as well as common barriers to implementation and their solutions.
 
Expert presenters include: Samantha Alonis, MS, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Prevention Services in DHS’ Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery, and Don Stader, MD, FACEP, FASAM, Founder and Executive Director of The Naloxone Project.
 
The webinar will benefit hospital and health system staff responsible for implementing a take-home naloxone program in their organization. Continuing medical education credit and nursing contact hours will be available for attending the live program. The webinar recording will be shared with all registrants following the program. Register today.
 
Email QualityPatientSafety@team-iha.org with questions.

REGISTER: Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program Webinar 
The Joyce Foundation will host a webinar titled “New Research on Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs” on June 16, from 1-2 p.m. CT.

This is the fifth webinar in the series focused on firearms research commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to The Joyce Foundation, the event will cover new research on hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs), in which medical staff and trusted community messengers offer patients immediate support and tools for preventing future injury and violence. Research suggests that HVIPs may effectively reduce the chances of patients experiencing violence again.

The webinar will feature the following speakers: 

• Fatimah Loren Dreier, Executive Director, The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention
• Michel Aboutanos, MD, Medical Director, Injury and Violence Prevention Program, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Nicholas Thomson, PhD, Director of Research, Injury and Violence Prevention Program,Virginia Commonwealth University

They will discuss the HVIP model and new findings that explore the impact of brief hospital-based interventions and a regional approach to HVIP implementation.

These findings suggest that brief hospital-based interventions and those with longer-term case management services both helped change patients’ attitudes related to violence and reduced the likelihood of experiencing violence again. To expand programs like these, the research shows that a regional model connecting and coordinating HVIPs through a technical assistance center can be beneficial.

To register for the event, click here.