Overview of the PPCThe Prevention Planning Committee (PPC) makes ongoing evidence-based recommendations on the full range of HIV prevention activities in Los Angeles County.
About the PPC
Subcommittees
Needs Assessment
Comprehensive Plan
About the HIV Prevention Planning Committee
Mission
To engage in an ongoing process to develop and update a comprehensive HIV prevention plan for the diverse populations of Los Angeles County.
Vision
To identify and support methods and programs that are effective in preventing transmission of HIV, thus reducing the incidence of HIV infection in Los Angeles County.
Purpose
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mandates that “HIV prevention community planning reflects an open, candid, and participatory process in which differences in cultural and ethnic background, perspective, and experience are essential and valued.” The CDC provides funding to the County of Los Angeles and the PPC to assist in completing several tasks, including:
- Compiling an epidemic profile of HIV, AIDS, and other health indicators in L.A. County.
- Assessing the needs of populations at risk for HIV infection and transmission.
- Review the prevention resources available in L.A. County.
- Analyzing and addressing the gaps in services.
- Identifying effective strategies and interventions to prevent new infections.
- Prioritizing prevention needs.
More information about HIV prevention community planning and core objectives, and a copy of the HIV Prevention Community Planning Guidance can be obtained at
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/hiv-cp.htm
Meetings
PPC monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month and are open to the public. The PPC invites active participation in subcommittee activities from the larger community; membership is not a requirement. Such community participation enhances diversity and creates opportunity for broad representation.
Subcommittees
The PPC creates standing and ad hoc subcommittees as needed to accomplish its mission. Subcommittees report the progress of their work to the PPC at regular meetings. Currently, the PPC
has five standing subcommittees and one workgroup:
1. Executive: The
Executive Subcommittee includes the PPC Co-Chairs and the Chairs of each standing subcommittee. This subcommittee is responsible for setting the agenda for all PPC meetings and for ensuring that the PPC accomplishes its goals and objectives as stated in the comprehensive HIV prevention plan.
Each year, this subcommittee is charged with reviewing Los Angeles County's application for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prevention funding, as prepared by OAPP; this review ensures that the application submitted is in concurrence with the HIV Prevention Plan. The Executive Subcommittee also guides the development of social marketing strategies and ensures community input in the content and development process.
2. Evaluation: The
Evaluation Subcommittee
evaluates the HIV prevention application process, assists in developing provider program reporters, and utilizes data for resource prioritization and allocation. Each year, this committee surveys PPC members to assess their satisfaction with the community planning process.
3. Operations: The
Operations Subcommittee
maintains clear and consistent policies and procedures for efficient operation of the PPC. This subcommittee ensures that policies and procedures reflect current operations by monitoring membership needs, identifying logistical needs, and making needed revisions to the
Policies & Procedures once a year, as needed. This subcommittee is responsible for overseeing the nomination and election process of the PPC Community Co-Chairs and the Community
UCHAPS alternate representative. Operations acts as the nominating body that reviews PPC nominees/applications for membership and makes recommendations for PPC membership selection to the Executive Subcommittee and the OAPP Director. The subcommittee assures that New Member Orientations take place throughout the year as needed, reviews PPC member attendance and reports to the PPC Co-Chairs regarding membership attendance and participations and reviews gaps in the PPC membership, making all necessary effort to recommend nominees to cover those gaps.
4. Standards & Best Practices:
The Standards and Best
Practices Subcommittee provides recommendations related to minimum standards and best practices in all areas concerning HIV prevention programming, staffing, benchmarks, and planning. This subcommittee is also charged with identifying and prioritizing strategies that assist in the implementation of HIV prevention interventions that are consistent with the comprehensive HIV prevention plan.
HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) Workgroup:
The HCT Workgroup
reports to the PPC through the Standards and Best Practices Subcommittee in a standing report. The mission of this workgroup is to enhance HCT services in Los Angeles County. The HCT
workgroup is an ongoing working group under the
Standards and Best Practices Subcommittee.
5. PPC and Commission on HIV Joint Public Policy Subcommittee: The voting membership of the
Joint Public Policy Subcommittee
is comprised of members from the Commission on HIV (COH)
assigned by the Commission Co-Chairs, an OAPP representative, members assigned by the PPC, and/or additional members appointed by the
County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors. The Joint Public Policy Committee is charged with following responsibilities:
Ad hoc: Ad hoc subcommittees/task forces are formed to address an emerging issue or for a special purpose. Ad hoc subcommittees have been formed to discuss the following issues: Crystal Methamphetamine, public policy,
and African-American men who have sex with men.
Currently, there are two task forces:
Transgender Task Force
and the Latino Task Force.
Membership
The PPC is comprised of 20 to 30 members who are
chosen to reflect the characteristics of the current and
projected HIV/AIDS epidemic in Los Angeles County as
contained in the HIV Epidemiologic Profile included in
the Los Angeles County HIV Prevention Plan 2009-2013 and
in Department of Public Health HIV Epidemiology Program's HIV/AIDS Semi-Annual
Surveillance Summary reports. The membership reflects the HIV epidemic in terms of age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic and metropolitan statistical area (MSA)-size distribution, and risk for HIV infection.
Members should be able to make knowledgeable contributions towards the understanding of the specific HIV prevention needs of the populations they represent. At the same time, they must be able to participate as group members in objectively weighing the overall priority prevention needs of all of Los Angeles County.
In addition, the PPC seeks membership from:
- Representatives of key non-governmental and governmental organizations providing HIV prevention and related services (e.g., STD, TB, substance abuse prevention and treatment, mental health services, homeless shelters, HIV care and social services) to persons with or at risk for HIV infection.
- Experts in Epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, program evaluation, and health planning.
- Staff of state and local health departments, including the HIV prevention and STD treatment programs; staff of state and local education agencies; and staff of other relevant governmental agencies (e.g., substance abuse, mental health, corrections).
- Representatives of key non-governmental organizations relevant to, but who may not necessarily provide, HIV prevention services (e.g., representatives of business, labor, and faith communities).
Membership Application
Persons interested in membership may complete a PPC
Membership Application form found under the
Forms link. Applications can be submitted by email or mail to:
PPC@ph.lacounty.gov
Office of AIDS Programs and Policy
Planning and Research Division
Attn: Prevention Planning Committee
600 South Commonwealth
Avenue, 10th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Vacancies are filled annually and as needed, on a continuous basis, to reflect both the epidemic and the expertise for comprehensive planning.
Needs Assessment
As part of the community planning process, the PPC is expected to conduct an assessment of the HIV prevention needs of the populations identified by the epidemiological profile as being at high risk for HIV infection. The publication,
HIV Prevention Plan 2009 - 2013, reflects current needs assessment for the County. It synthesizes several available quantitative and qualitative data and represents a four-pronged approach to the assessment of HIV prevention needs within Los Angeles County including:
- The review of HIV and AIDS epidemiological data,
- The analysis of the Los Angeles Coordinated
HIV Needs Assessment (LACHNA) results,
- The development of a model to assess impact of disease by geographic region, and
- The review of findings from focus groups and key informant interviews.
New Hybrid Planning Model
The Prevention Plan work group determined that a Hybrid Planning Model would continue to give Los Angeles County flexibility to address multiple concerns and needs, including issues of identity. However, the Prevention Plan work group continued to discuss the elements of the hybrid model and whether the current Behavioral Risk Group (BRG) hybrid model was best suited to meet Los Angeles County's current and evolving needs.
The work group reached consensus on redesigning Los Angeles County's planning model. Shifting from the established BRG model, Los Angeles County's new model integrates five components, using population as the primary lens for defining priority populations. This population-based approach is informed by behavioral risk, identity, geography, as well as the co-factors that contribute to an increased vulnerability and risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV.
Click to view the
Priority and Critical Target Populations at Risk for Acquiring/Transmitting HIV.
Priority Setting Process and
Recommended Allocations for HIV Prevention Services
In April 2007, the PPC passed a motion to establish the ad hoc Prevention Plan Work
Group. The purpose of the group was to develop a County-wide strategic plan for delivering HIV prevention services for the five-year period from 2009 to 2013. This plan would establish HIV prevention priorities for Los Angeles County.
The PPC entrusted all aspects of the priority setting process to the Prevention Plan Work Group, including decision making. it was then the responsibility of the Prevention Plan Work Group to develop and agree on a set of recommendations regarding priority populations to present to the PPC for approval. With the assistance of OAPP staff, subject mater experts, and an external consultant, the Prevention Plan Work Group embarked upon this momentous task.
After ranking Los Angeles County's priority populations
, the Prevention Plan Work Group identified the critical
target populations within each priority population that
are most highly impacted by the epidemic and whom may be
at higher risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV. ng HIV.
Additional information on the process of priorities setting and resources allocation can be obtained from the publication,
HIV Prevention Plan 2009 - 2013.
Comprehensive Plan
The HIV Prevention Plan 2009 - 2013 is the most recent comprehensive HIV prevention plan for Los Angeles County. The Plan is intended to guide decision-makers, health care planners and community services providers in the development and delivery of HIV prevention activities throughout the County. It provides the current framework for HIV prevention activities in Los Angeles County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires all jurisdictions awarded prevention funding to develop a comprehensive HIV prevention plan. The CDC does not require a new plan each year but does expect the PPC to meet regularly and to periodically review, revise, and refine the plan, to reflect any new or enhanced surveillance data, intervention research, needs assessment, resource inventory, program policy, or technology.
