Connections a Bi-monthly Newsletter

							 The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
    Nov - Dec 2009                                                                                                                 NEW FROM CDC
                                           Upcoming PCSI White Paper Launch                                                             International
       Director’s                                                                                                                        Laboratory
                                                                                                                                        Accreditation
        Update                             This fall, we are pleased to publish a
                                           new NCHHSTP White Paper on Program                                                      HIV/AIDS in the US
                                                                                                                                       Fact sheet
                                           Collaboration and Service Integration                                                     AIDS in the US
                                           (PCSI). The document will outline the                                                      by Geographic
                                                                                                                                       Distribution
                                           vision and objectives for this major                                                     MMWR: Rectal and
                                           NCHHSTP strategic priority, along                                                         Pharyngeal STD
                                                                                                                                         Testing
                                           with a framework for conceptualizing,                                                     Reported TB in
                                           implementing, and evaluating PCSI at                                                    the United States,
                                                                                                                                         2008
       Dr. Kevin Fenton                    national, state, and local levels.
        Director, NCHHSTP
                                           The white paper contains key principles and pragmatic guidance that will
                                           be relevant for other CDC units, federal agencies, publicly funded entities,
What a remarkable year it has              professional organizations, community-based organizations, and private health
been for conversations on health           care providers where significant intersections in program objectives, populations,
care in America! The debates have          venues, or services exist. We acknowledge the tremendous work that our partners         upcoming events
encouraged many to question what           have done to promote better collaboration and integration of services. The white
                                           paper aims to build upon these accomplishments by outlining a more systematic           December 1
public health should look like in the
                                           approach to PCSI. The paper will be available later this year, so please mark your      World AIDS Day
era of health reform given challenging
infrastructure needs, evolving societal-   calendars to visit the PCSI Web site.                                                   December 3-7
                                                                                                                                   40th Union World
level determinants of health, and                                                                                                  Conference on Lung Health
desire to increase positive health
                                           TB Screening and Treatment Program for                                                  March 8-11
outcomes.                                                                                                                          2010 National STD
                                           U.S.-Bound Refugees in Nepal
                                                                                                                                   Prevention Conference
In the year ahead, I will highlight
our Center’s efforts to meet these         Work to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) takes place through the dedicated efforts of        Locations and Dates
                                                                                                                                   Office of National
challenges. I am pleased to announce       many people at home and abroad. With the majority of TB cases in the United
                                                                                                                                   AIDS Policy Community
the change in name and focus of            States occurring among foreign-born individuals, the need for overseas screening for    Discussions
NCHHSTP’s Office of Health Disparities     TB has become more evident. In 2007, CDC published revised Technical Instructions
                                           for Tuberculosis Screening and Treatment for overseas medical screening of applicants   on the web
to the Office of Health Equity. This
                                           for U.S. immigration to better detect and treat TB before entry into the United         Healthy People 2020
signals our commitment to eliminating
                                           States. CDC and partners then conducted evaluations in three locales with programs      Each decade, HHS updates
health inequalities by employing a         screening refugees or immigrants requesting entry into the United States. The most      Healthy People, the set of national
social determinants of health approach     recent evaluation was for Bhutanese refugees located in Nepal; approximately            objectives for promoting health and
that incorporates factors such as social   60,000 of these refugees will be resettled to the United States in the next 5 years.    preventing disease. HHS is seeking
structures and economic systems.           The team evaluated the screening, diagnosis, and treatment process for this high-risk   public input on the draft objectives
                                           population. Thanks to all for this important work linking global and domestic TB        and topic areas for Healthy People
During this time of change, we are
                                                                                                                                   2020. Go online to register for one
committed and poised to lead for           control.
                                                                                                                                   of the free local meetings or to
prevention.                                                                                                                        submit your comments.