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"The HIV Prevention Program of the HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Program strives to provide a comprehensive, high-quality, evidence-based, cost-effective program that reaches all Floridians infected and affected by HIV. The HIV Prevention Director provides oversight to the five teams that make up the Prevention Program. Teams include: Counseling and Testing, Interventions, Community Prevention, Linkage, and Data Management. These teams work together to ensure that behavioral interventions, education, testing, and linkages are readily available and easily accessible to all of our diverse communities. The HIV Prevention Director, along with three other staff, also oversees all state and federal grant applications, program budgets, prevention contracts, the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Study, strategic planning, and evaluation, among other duties. Despite our best efforts, HIV and AIDS have not gone away. Approximately 15 Floridians become infected with HIV every single day. We hope that you will educate yourself, get tested, show compassion to people living with HIV/AIDS and encourage others to do the same. Only with everyone working together can we end this epidemic."
- Marlene LaLota, MPH, HIV Prevention Manager, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Program
Please listen to Marlene discuss Florida's HIV Epidemic
and our Testing and Linkage Program.
Research
The Florida Department of Health, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Section is collaborating with the University of Miami and CDC to conduct National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) NHBS is conducted in over 20 US metropolitan areas with high AIDS prevalence and involves a survey of high-risk populations: men who have sex with men (MSM), injection drug users (IDU), and heterosexuals at risk for infection (HET). NHBS activities are implemented in rotating cycles so that data are collected from each risk group approximately once every three years. The study provides data on trends in 1) sexual and drug-use risk behaviors, 2) HIV prevalence and incidence, 3) HIV testing patterns, and 4) the use and impact of prevention services. The overarching goal of NHBS is to help evaluate and direct local and national prevention efforts. For more information on the study or to view findings by population, please see the behavioral surveillance website
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Prevention Section's Evaluation Consortium help monitor and evaluate statewide and local HIV prevention programs, including CBO demonstration projects. These activities serve to assess and improve the quality of Florida’s HIV prevention services. For more information on monitoring and evaluation resources, technical assistance, the Evaluation Consortium, or demonstration projects, please see the monitoring and evaluation website. If you would like technical assistance on monitoring and evaluation, contact the prevention program or call (850) 245-4336
Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan (ECHPP)
In response to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) FOA # “CDC-RFA-PS10-10181”, the HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Section applied for and received funding to develop an Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan (ECHPP). Competing with jurisdictions from across the nation, Miami-Dade County was selected to be a part of the “12 City” project. The Program was given six months to take inventory of current prevention activities (including funding sources) taking place in the county, along with obtaining input from community members and key stakeholders on barriers and places that needed improvement. The comprehensive plan was written around fourteen required interventions and incorporated information received from the community. The CDC required each jurisdiction’s plan be fully approved prior to beginning implementation. The Program submitted the final plan on March 15, 2011 and soon after received full approval to begin implementation.
Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan (ECHPP)
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