New Jersey HIV/AIDS Planning Group
The New Jersey HIV Planning Group (NJHPG) supports the New Jersey Department of Health, Division of HIV, STD and TB Services (DHSTS) in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of HIV prevention, care, and treatment services. The NJ HPG integrates the HIV Prevention and HIV Care & Treatment communities to make the best use of resources for both, while improving efficiency and effectiveness in planning in the state of New Jersey.
Early Identification of Individuals with HIV/AIDS (EIIHA)
The Early Identification of Individuals with HIV/AIDS (EIIHA) initiative of HRSA/HAB arose out of the mandate in the Ryan White Treatment Extension Act of 2009 to identify individuals who were HIV positive and get them into care and treatment for HIV. The EMA’s EIIHA Plan facilitates immediate linkage to care with Part A medical sites and results in unfettered access to care from any point in the EMA’s Ryan White continuum regardless of where the individual is tested.
In 2011, the EMA established the Early Intervention and Retention Collaboratives (EIRCs) to bring together the counseling/testing/referral (CTR) agencies (responsible for HIV Prevention, Diagnosis and Linkage to Care) and all funded Part A agencies (responsible for Linkage to Care, Retention, ARV Use, and Viral Load Suppression). The EIRCs build on established relationships between testing/diagnosis and HIV care. Four EIRCs were established – two in Essex County, one in Union County, and one in the Morris/Sussex/Warren region.
The EIRCs meet quarterly or three times per year, have standard agenda items, review and improve the referral relationships between testing, diagnosis, linkage and engagement in care. The EIRCs are at the core of the EMA’s EIIHA Plan. They help identify priorities, action items, and are responsible for completion and progress reporting on the final activities. They implement the action items and report progress in improving linkage to and engagement.