History of the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group

In December 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the Supplemental Guidance on HIV Prevention Community Planning for Noncompeting Continuation of Cooperative Agreements for HIV Prevention Projects. The Guidance required that between January and October 1994 the project areas receiving federal HIV prevention funds design and implement a community planning process.

In response to this initiative, representatives from the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and community representatives from throughout Florida decided to convene one statewide group to address community planning. This group was named the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group. Early in the community planning process, both health department and community representatives recognized the need for collaboration with regard to HIV prevention and AIDS patient care. Rather than separate these two linked concerns, the decision was made to integrate these concerns by forming the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group. Thus, the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group addresses both HIV prevention and AIDS patient care issues.

To facilitate the formation of a true partnership, it was recognized that the success of community planning depended on the development of a planning group at the state level composed of public health representatives, the community and persons living wit h AIDS. It was further determined that the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group would consist of community members drawn from each of the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services fifteen districts. These local bodies are called District Community Planning Partnerships. Each of the fifteen districts nominated one public health representative to the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group to represent HIV prevention and AIDS patient care issues and one community representative to address H IV prevention. Further, each of the twelve Ryan White Title II consortia nominated a community representative to the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group to address AIDS patient care issues. Several of the districts decided to form partnerships along their existing planning boundaries and combined their resources. Two large, multiple county districts divide into two distinct planning bodies in order to better serve the unique prevention needs of their respective communities. Therefore, there are fourteen District Community Planning Partnerships in the state. By dividing along existing planning boundaries the partnerships also display additional diversity by addressing both rural and urban concerns, which occur at the local and at the state level . The diversity of the epidemic is also represented as some partnerships serve areas of the state having low, medium and high HIV infection rates as well as multiple epidemics.

During the 1995 funding cycle, the statewide community planning group continued to meet on a regular basis, with meetings being held both face-to-face and by way of conference calls. On January 12 and 13, 1995, the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group met in Tampa to revise the 1994 Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan and to review and complete the state of Florida's 1995 Supplemental Application for funding. Members from each of the District Community Planning Partnerships participated, as did other representatives from around the state. The Supplemental Application submitted in February of 1995, was based on the priorities and interventions developed by the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group. These were included in the revised 1994 Comprehensive Prevention Plan. A Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group meeting was held on February 1, 1995, to discuss the implications for prevention activities if supplemental funding was to be awarded to the state. In March, Florida received supplement al HIV prevention funding in the amount of $2,135,000 as a direct result of the work completed by the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group. July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1996

From July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1996, the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning continued its development of the ground work established during the inception of community planning in late 1993. During the past 12 months, the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group and the District Community Planning Partnerships (DCPP) have grown as decision making bodies and as community resources for information and leadership.

June of 1996 marked the end of the first two year term for many members. As a result, eighteen new members were nominated and approved by the State Health Officer to serve on the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group. Many senior members were re-appointed to a second two year term. In addition, the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group members voted to replace the use of proxies with alternates, to assure full participation by each district during the absence of a regular member at any meeting. Alternates will be trained on all aspects of community planning and will be able to step in and represent a district at a moments notice. Each Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group member is responsible for keeping their alternate up-to-date on all pertinent issues.

In January 1996 the first Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group Community Co-chair, P.G. "Skip" Ciotti, resigned to accept a job opportunity in another state. Nominees for a new Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group Community Co-chair were accepted and a vote was taken at the February 1996 meeting. Rob McMurrough, an AIDS activist from Naples, was elected as the new Community Co-chair. Mr. McMurrough is actively involved in many HIV/AIDS related issues at the local, statewide and national level . He brings a wealth of knowledge, energy, leadership and experience to the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group.

With an increasing number of issues facing the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group, the quarterly meetings have been expanded to two full days. This additional time allows for further discussion on all topics under consideration by the Florida HIV/ AIDS Community Planning Group members and increases the capacity for information sharing and decision making on any number of issues. The first day of each meeting is usually set aside to allow committee members to meet, face-to-face, and work on project s that are not completed through the telephone conference calls. The committees usually meet for a portion of the day leaving the remaining time available for training, special topics discussion, educational presentations, time to work on local prevention plans, new member orientation and other special projects. The second day of each meeting is the regular business meeting. Regular business agendas include old and new business, committee reports, District Community Planning Partnership reports, Ryan White Consortia reports, legislative updates, updates on funding issues and funding opportunities, announcements of upcoming events and other topics. At each August meeting, group members are separated by the district they represent and assigned a facilitator to assist members in reviewing and updating their local prevention plan. Members receive immediate technical assistance and recommendations for improvement of their local plan, if needed. These plans and other quantitative and qualitative data sources are then used to develop the statewide prevention plan submitted to CDC in October.

Special guests to the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group meetings have included representatives from the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists; the Academy of Educational Development; the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, the Georgia Department of Health and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Regular reports are presented by the Office of Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health, Department of Elder Affairs, Department of Education, Patient Care, the AIDS Fraud Task Force, the Department of Correction and Children's Medical Services and members who have attended trainings or workshops and have information to share.

During this reporting period, Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group members have been involved in many new HIV/AIDS issues facing Florida. These issues include: HIV infection reporting, new HIV testing technologies including home collections kits currently being test marketed in Florida, and increased penalties for breach of confidentiality, included as part of the new HIV Reporting Statute. Furthermore, the Florida Legislature voted to separate the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services into two separate agencies; the Department of Health and the Department of Children and Family Services. As a result of this separation, there is the potential that district geographical boundaries, on which District Community Planning Partnerships are based, will be eliminated.

The number of District Community Planning Partnerships increased from twelve to fourteen. District Community Planning Partnerships were created along Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services' district boundaries. There are 15 districts, however, due to shared resources and a shared history, Districts Three and Thirteen, plus Districts Five, Six and Fourteen, combined to form one District Community Planning Partnership. In the past twelve months, District 2 and District 11 separated into two District Community Planning Partnerships, resulting in District 2A and 2B, District 11A and 11B. District 2 is one of the largest Districts in the state covering 14 counties. The creation of two District Community Planning Partnerships will enhance the mission of Community Planning. District 11, composed of Dade and Monroe counties, has two distinctly different HIV epidemics. Dade County has the highest number of AIDS cases in Florida and has the state's largest population center with over 2 million people. In contrast Monroe County, with a much smaller population has the fourth largest AIDS case rate for 1995. The unique flavor of these two distinct counties is better served by two separate and distinct District Community Planning Partnerships also the geographic issues, how many miles between Key West and Dade and a two lane highway in most areas.

The Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group held its first team building retreat in February. The goals of the retreat were to review and define the group's mission statement, establish goals and objectives to improve the community planning process, and develop group skills to learn how to work more effectively as a member of a group. The retreat was a monumental success which can be measured by increased member participation, increased communication among members and a clearer focus on the completion of group tasks. During the retreat, the group members identified eighteen priorities for the Florida HIV/AIDS Community Planning Group in coming months. The priorities cover issues of parity, inclusion and representation, improving communication and providing greater support at the local level. As a result of the priorities listed below, workgroups were formed to address the issues of committees, technical assistance, and evaluation.