Aid in Action

Celebrating the Achievements of National HIV/AIDS Program

New partnership to continue work with targeted populations

Kingston, Jamaica | Wednesday, September 07, 2005

On September 7, the U.S. Government, working through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and in partnership with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) National HIV/AIDS/STI Prevention and Control Program, hosted a press conference at the University of the West Indies to celebrate the achievements of the 2001-2004 bilateral National HIV/AIDS program.

The achievements of the program include reduction in the cases of primary and secondary syphilis, development of a stigma and discrimination campaign for the workplace, expansion of outreach through Priority Locations for AIDS Control Efforts (PLACE), and over 900 Voluntary Testing and Counseling Program counselors trained island-wide. Critical support has also been provided to the Public Health Laboratory and the Blood Bank.

The press conference and reception highlighted these accomplishments, as well as the signing of a performance based agreement between USAID and the MOH that details their partnership for the 2005-2009 bilateral HIV/AIDS program in Jamaica in order to continue to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS among targeted populations.

The goals of the new program include increasing use of strategic information to enhance the management and implementation of HIV/AIDS policies and programs; improving community based services for most at-risk populations; and reducing HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination.

“HIV/AIDS affects every social and economic aspect of a society, and we must continue to partner and develop effective programs to slow the gaining speed of the pandemic,” Karen Turner, Mission Director, USAID/Jamaica-Caribbean Regional Program, said.