PA HIV Planning Group 5-Year Plan Submitted to CDC

from Erie County HIV Task Force

Throughout the 2022 year, the Pennsylvania HIV Planning Group (HPG) [a collaboration between stakeholders and the PA Department of Health (PADOH)] worked toward developing the new 2022-2026 Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan. This document is a comprehensive plan presented by PADOH to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as guidelines for the work to be completed in the coming years. The Integrated Plan has built off of decades of work by many PA residents to improve the lives of persons living with HIV along with reducing HIV infections within the commonwealth. Between September and November, provided the new plan for review internally and HPG received notice that the new five-year plan has been submitted to the CDC prior to the December 9th deadline.

The HIV Planning Group is made up of two main parties; Community Members that apply and are selected to represent the breadth of PA residents affected by HIV, as well as Planning Partners which are relevant agencies of PA government and partner organizations to assist with executing the HPG five year plan. Together these individuals not only develop the five-year plan, but also evaluate and assess its impact throughout the years of coverage.

The HPG is guided by the Vision Statement of the Division of HIV Disease and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Pennsylvania will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life extending care, free from stigma and discrimination.

To learn more about the HPG, check out www.stophiv.com. And you can reach out to the Erie County HIV Task Force for additional details/feedback to provide to the HIV Planning Group.