PACHA Seeks to Engage Community Voices in March 2022 Meeting

Content From: Kaye Hayes, Executive Director, Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, and Acting Director, Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for HealthPublished: February 16, 20223 min read

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Join the PACHA to the People Community Session. We want to hear from you!

Mark your calendars! The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) wants to hear from members of the HIV community during a “PACHA-to-the-People” virtual community engagement session on March 14, 2022.

PACHA is convening its 73rd meeting on Monday, March 14, and Tuesday, March 15, 2022, from 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM (ET) on both days. During this virtual meeting, the Council will bring “PACHA-to-the-People” through a listening session with the HIV community on the first day.

In 2019 and 2020, PACHA went on the road for “PACHA-to-the-People” meetings and convened in Jackson, Mississippi; Miami, Florida; and Washington, DC. “PACHA-to-the-People” provided an opportunity for Council members to hear from people from local communities about key issues of concern, possible solutions, and recommendations. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the Council has convened virtually and has not been able to take “PACHA-to-the-People.”

Since the Council found those community engagement sessions to be quite valuable, PACHA has dedicated time during their next meeting for a virtual “PACHA-to-the-People” community engagement session. Community members will be able to virtually join the discussion and provide the Council with feedback on two broad topics: (1) HIV Prevention in the Context of Ending the HIV Epidemic and (2) the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative. Each breakout room will be co-facilitated by PACHA members, and participants can attend either session, or both of them. We understand that within each of these breakout rooms there could be many topics to cover, so to help start the discussion, prompt topics/questions to consider will include:

Breakout Room A: HIV Prevention in the Context of Ending the HIV Epidemic

  • HIV prevention for women and adolescent girls
  • HIV prevention and support needs for those 55 and over in age
  • HIV prevention for persons living with substance use and mental health disorders
  • HIV prevention for LGBTQ+ community
  • PrEP assistance programs

Breakout Room B: National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Initiative

  • How much have you heard/learned about the NHAS and EHE in your state, city, or territory?
  • How can implementation of the NHAS and EHE embrace and engage rural communities?
  • How can people with HIV and those at risk for HIV be engaged in implementing the NHAS and EHE?
  • What NHAS and/or EHE issues should PACHA highlight next for PACHA to capture specific recommendations for HHS?

The “PACHA-to-the-People” virtual community engagement session will take place on Monday, March 14, 2022, from 12:30 PM – 2:45 PM (ET).

Other agenda topics during the two-day PACHA meeting include: Strengthening the HIV Workforce; Women and Girls: Why Representation Matters; Providing PrEP for the Nation; and PEPFAR Guidance to Countries for 2022.

Finally, PACHA will also be hearing public comment, as they always do, during their meeting. If you would like to provide public comment on Tuesday, March 15, please email PACHA@hhs.gov with your name, organization, and title by close of business Monday, March 7, 2022.

Please visit www.hhs.gov/live to both view the meeting and to access the link for the “PACHA-to-the-People” virtual community engagement session.