As the leading CDC/PEPFAR implementing partner in Ethiopia since 2005, ICAP at Columbia University has provided both above-site technical assistance (TA) and site level direct service delivery support to transform access to comprehensive, high quality services for people living with HIV (PLHIV) and priority populations at risk for HIV. During the next five years, we will partner with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ethiopia Public Health Institute (EPHI), and Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs) to improve HIV program management capacity and service quality, and to drive progress towards HIV epidemic control and program sustainability. ICAP will tailor support to the diverse needs of partner institutions, as follows. 1) Targeted above-site capacity building (CB) and TA support to MOH, EPHI, and the RHBs of five maintained regions (Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations Nationalities and People, and Tigray) and the five MOH-supported transition regions (Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa, Harari, and Somali). 2) Intensive above-site and site level support to RHBs and PEPFAR-supported health facilities in Gambella Region and the three newly formed regions of Sidama, Southwest, and Central Ethiopia. 3) Targeted above-site TA and site level CB/TA to strengthen capacity at five federal hospitals in Addis Ababa to serve large numbers of PLHIV. 4) Support to reinstate HIV services in areas of Amhara, Afar, and Tigray Regions affected by conflict, as well as support to restore or maintain HIV services as in areas affected by natural disasters or emerging public health threats, and 5) Support to build the capacity of MOH, EPHI, and RHBs to generate, evaluate, and scale evidence-based innovations to improve quality, equity, and health outcomes. Expected outcomes of the project include increased resilience to health system shocks affecting HIV services, improved use of innovative approaches, increased use of program and surveillance data for planning and co
ntinuous quality improvement, improved quality of HIV services at all PEPFAR-supported sites, and increased sustainability of the national HIV program. ICAP support will be guided by CB, sustainability, and transition plans for each partner that include defined steps toward mature, optimized systems and clear timelines for transition of activities to national ownership. At the national level, ICAP will further strengthen MOH and EPHI’s capacity to coordinate HIV programming, update policies and guidelines based on the latest global recommendations, introduce new approaches and track their impact (e.g., integrated, person-centered services that bridge facility and community), deliver high quality training and mentorship to clinic and laboratory staff countrywide, and ensure availability of commodities at all sites providing HIV services. In the transition and maintained regions, we will further strengthen the capacity of RHBs to monitor and evaluate performance and use data to drive improvement, manage regional training and mentorship programs, and augment the role of community stakeholders in improving equitable access to HIV-related services and continuation on treatment. We will work with RHBs to strengthen the HIV care and treatment continuum, including through targeted TA to optimize HIV testing, expand differentiated treatment models, improve management of advanced HIV disease, and strengthen services for priority populations (including key populations, children, adolescents and youth, and pregnant and breastfeeding women). In Gambella and the newly formed regions, and at the federal hospitals, we will develop leadership, management, coordination, and technical competencies among health service managers and provide contextualized site level support to improve service coverage and quality. In Gambella, this will include building the RHBs’ capacity to deliver HIV services for both the indigenous population and refugee communities, including voluntary medical male
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