GH-24-0101: Improving Integrated Surveillance Methods and Quality of Public Health Systems to Address HIV in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) - The "Surveillance for HIV Action and Response Partnership" (SHARP) consortium brings together the best in local expertise in and international technical assistance in key populations surveillance, monitoring and evaluation and health information systems. SHARP is a partnership between Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC), the Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development (CCHSRD) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine, and the University of California San Francisco Center for Global Strategic Information and Public Health Practice (UCSF-GSI). The SHARP consortium will enhance strategic information (SI) to guide interventions towards HIV epidemic control in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. SHARP emphasizes the importance of data-driven approaches to health interventions, particularly highlighting the need for robust, interoperable, and locally sustained data systems. The goal is to strengthen integrated surveillance systems, enhance the use of data for program planning, and improve health information quality to address gaps in diagnosis and treatment, especially for key populations (KPs) and priority populations (PPs) at high risk for HIV. Through three strategies: Strategy 1: To provide technical assistance (TA) to two (2) countries for the strengthening, integration, and sustainability of data management and reporting systems in developing standard operating procedures (SOP), and supporting data analysis and reporting for programmatic action Strategy 2: To support the implementation of robust surveillance, surveys, and M&E activities essential to inform public health policy and programs for key populations (KP) and priority populations (PP) Strategy 3: To build the capacity of Ministry of Health (MoH) staff to effectively manage, analyze, and use survey, surveillance, and program data for decision-making with standardized triangulation and validation of data CVC, as the lead of the SHARP consortium, brings extensive experience in advancing the rights and health of marginalized groups and has been a staunch advocate for evidence-based policy-making in the Caribbean. It has conducted significant research and data analysis and is engaged in multiple strategic activities focusing on human rights, HIV, and sexual and reproductive health. CCHSRD is instrumental in health policy and systems research, actively collaborating with the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Health (MoH) to strengthen SI systems. It has been pivotal in creating a national health research agenda, among other contributions. UCSF-GSI, with expertise in HIV monitoring and evaluation (M&E), surveillance, and epidemiology, provides technical assistance and training in SI. It has been instrumental in capacity building for PEPFAR and has initiated several key projects, including the TRACE initiative and HEALTHQUAL, to improve quality in HIV-related health services. The proposal outlines a comprehensive approach to develop and validate SI activities, with a focus on health equity and community engagement. The strategy aims to integrate evidence-based interventions into national health systems, utilizing continuous quality improvement (CQI) and implementation science to tailor approaches to each country's context.
