Armees Nationale Tchadienne (ANT) Partnership for Sustainable HIV Epidemic
Abstract
Jhpiego, a nonprofit global health leader and Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is pleased to offer the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) this concept note detailing a partnership for clinical HIV/AIDS services with the Armées Nationale Tchadienne (ANT) and the DOD HIV/AIDS Prevention Program. The partnership aims to ensure that the continuum of HIV prevention, diagnosis, care, treatment and support services is accessible and of highest quality for members of ANT, their families and civilian communities served by ANT. Jhpiego will support efforts to reduce HIV incidence and work toward achieving the 90-90-90 goals for HIV epidemic control, which will lead to improved population health outcomes. Jhpiego will work directly with the ANT HIV prevention, care and treatment program to increase their capacity to deliver comprehensive HIV services in a sustainable and cost-effective way. This will be accomplished by focusing on/customizing early prevention programming and testing for the highest-risk groups using combined data sources; increasing early stage HIV diagnosis through optimized case finding, risk assessment and index testing; accelerating access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) through same-day ART initiation and implementation of differentiated service models of care; enhancing the capacity of sites to deliver person-centered, high-quality HIV services for all clients; reducing HIV stigma and discrimination, which impede uptake of services across populations; enhancing national capacity for governance for sustained leadership, ensuring ownership and effective health policy adoption; and bolstering health systems for improved quality control, monitoring and real-time response. The Sectoral Program to Combat AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections is responsible for coordinating implementation of HIV activities. The military is a particularly vulnerable group. Young men constitute a significant proportion of the military population, and military personnel are frequently deployed far from their families. Sociocultural norms within this specific population contribute to risky behavior (e.g., “warrior” status among men with multiple sexual partners, myth that immunization contributes to the spread of HIV). Although the ANT is well aware of the extent of the HIV problem within the armed forces, there is no budget allocation to address it, therefore partner support is essential at this time. Jhpiego will support the ANT to implement highly effective HIV testing service (HTS) strategies to identify clients most likely to be infected with HIV, such as including index case testing and targeted provider-initiated testing and counseling as components of required military personnel health check-ups. Following HTS, military and civilian peer educators will personally escort all HIV-positive clients to care and treatment services for immediate ART initiation. Jhpiego will use the military’s organizational structure to implement activities in a manner that reflects ANT and DOD priorities, transitioning programmatic capacity through leadership and technical support to 14 sites throughout the country.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 25, 2019
- Source ID
- N002441910017
Entities
People
- Kodjo Morgah
Organizations
- United States Department of Defense