The HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Support in the Zambia Defense
Abstract
Project Abstract Since 2003, Project Concern International (PCI) has shared the commitment of the U.S. Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP) to improve the lives of uniformed personnel in the Zambia Defense Force (ZDF), their families and communities infected and affected by HIV/AIDS by implementing a capacity building program that continues to receive recognition. Through PCI support to improve access, availability, quality and uptake of HIV/AIDS services, ZDF has been able to intensify HIV/AIDS interventions, improve service delivery across the continuum of care, and adapt international standards and evidence-based best practices for improving outcomes and achieving sustainable impact. The Defense Force Medical Services (DFMS) needs additional support however, to sustainably deliver, as well as increase demand and uptake of, quality integrated HIV/AIDS services across the care continuum. PCI will deepen its capacity strengthening efforts and incorporate sustainability readiness approaches to continue transitioning program ownership to ZDF. PCI will continue to strengthen the ZDF to implement evidence-based HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support interventions that are aligned with the ZDF and national HIV/AIDS strategic plans, the Global Health Initiative (GHI), PEPFAR guidelines, and central initiatives including: focus on gender mainstreaming; Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL); and the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon (PRRR) initiatives. Through its partnership with DHAPP, PCI will strengthen the capacity of DFMS to implement combination prevention interventions in military bases and surrounding community hotpots with the highest burden of HIV infection and to place greater emphasis on populations known to be at high risk, including new recruits and youth in and around military bases. PCI will support DFMS to develop and strengthen health and community information management systems for informing program strategies that enable early linkages to, enrollment in, and enhanced retention in treatment and care services among HIV positive beneficiaries. PCI will strengthen the capacity of ZDF to implement evidence-based “Option B+” interventions—provision of lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) to HIV positive pregnant women regardless of their CD 4 count—and to use the innovative index HIV/AIDS patient approach to increase children access to HIV testing, treatment and care services. PCI will continue to strengthen DFMS capacity to implement community mobilization and demand creation interventions for facility-based services including voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC); HIV-testing and counseling (HTC) with emphasis on couple counseling and testing; and Option B+ services. The DFMS capacity will be strengthened to enable the implementation of synergetic community-based services including home-based and mobile HTC; nutrition assessment counseling and support (NACS); treatment adherence support and lost to follow up (LTFU) tracing. PCI will also support ZDF to strengthen the economic capacity of families to care for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and to strengthen bi-directional linkages between OVC programs and facility-based treatment, care and support programs. The Strategic Objective (SO) for this ongoing partnership is to strengthen the capacity of the DFMS for a sustainable scale-up of quality integrated HIV/STI prevention, care and support for improved service delivery, systems strengthening, and improved health and well-being of 7,714 military personnel and 31,036 civilian personnel, their families, and populations surrounding military camps in Zambia.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 11, 2016
- Source ID
- N002441510053
Entities
People
- Janine Schooley
Organizations
- United States Navy