Sunday, April 20, 2025
4/20/2025
Community-Based Approaches to Reducing Sexually Transmitted Diseases (CARS) - In Los Angeles County (LAC), CA, STD rates continue to rise and to disproportionately impact young people, people of color, men who have sex with men, transgender individuals and cisgender women of color. Across all racial/ethnic populations, African Americans shoulder the greatest burden of STDs. In LAC, multiple social determinants of health (SDHs) drive the STD & HIV epidemics and fuel disparities, including structural racism, inadequate screening/testing, unemployment, homelessness, substance use, incarceration, and lack of access to culturally responsive services. To better understand these SDH and to identify the best ways to address them, it is critical that prevention efforts are driven by those most impacted by STDs. This belief necessitates that our program is centered on engaging the community to identify and prioritize SDHs, design interventions that best address them, and leverage partners’ capacity and influence to implement them. Rising Communities (formerly Community Health Councils, Inc.), in partnership with Coachman Moore & Associates, Inc. and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, proposes Project Fierce Plus (PF+) to reduce STD disparities and advance health equity for young cisgender and trans women of color in LAC. This will be accomplished through the following strategies centered on and driven by the PF+ CAB: 1) community engagement efforts prioritizing YWOC and inclusive of other communities disproportionately impacted by STDs(e.g. YMSM); 2)developing structural change strategies and facilitating community-clinical linkages; 3)building and leveraging the support of multi-sectoral partners to implement interventions; 4)utilizing communication strategies to reach prioritized communities, and; 5) advancing knowledge in the field by sharing lessons learned through evaluation and dissemination efforts. The program has been designed in response to the successes and lessons learned over the last three years of implementing Project Fierce, an effort born out of the last funding cycle of the CARS program. The program will result in the following outcomes: By 9/30/24: 1) Increase number of YWOC CAB members who actively participate in and are satisfied with the CAB, from 5 to 10; 2) Increase number of SDH prioritized by the CAB, from 3 to 5; 3) Increase number of clinical resources identified from 10-15.; 4) Increase number of effective CAB-designed STD interventions for YWOC, from 6 to 8; 5) Increase awareness of STD disparities among YWOC/YMSM; 6) Increase awareness of personal health issues affecting YWOC/MSM and community resources; 7) Increase number of new stable partnerships to address community needs from 6-9; 8) Continuously improve the program, increase understanding of effective strategies, and advance community STD programming. By 9/30/26, 9) Increase linkages with & access to YWOC, by at least 5,000; 10) Increase number of existing clinical resources identified by the CAB by at least 10; 11) Increase number sustainable CAB-designed STD interventions implemented w/ partner resources and influence by at least 6; 12) Increase access to/use of community health resources, STD screening and services by YWOC by at least 200; 13) Increase access to/use of educational and economic opportunities addressing needs of YWOC by at least 300; 14) Improved procedures for data collection/analysis of community engagement, partnerships & interventions. The established partnership that makes up the program team is uniquely well-suited to implement Project Fierce Plus. All partners are deeply committed to and skilled in implementing community engagement as an essential strategy to advance health equity. Each partner has a long and rich history of collaborating with multiple organizations across various sectors to maximize reach and impact in pursuit of health equity. Collectively, the three partners will ensure the desired outcomes are reached and the impact of the program is sustained well beyond the 3-year funding cycle.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).