HIV/AIDS Policy Process
Sheila Zinnerman
HCS/455 Health Care Policy: The Past and the Future
University of Phoenix, Augusta Campus
June 9th, 2011
Sharon E. Reed. MA, MPA

HIV/AIDS Policy Process Part I The Offices of HIV/AIDS Policy spear-headed by the president of the United States promotes health and human services policies concerning implementation and development of HIV/AIDS policy, programs and resources. This paper will describe the first three stages of the policy process. The stages of interest here are the formulation, legislative and implementation stages. The goal of the HIV/AIDS Policy is to engage individuals, schools, organizations, and communities for the fight against HIV/AIDS. The policy’s objective is to change people’s attitudes about those living with HIV and those who are most at-risk for the disease (OHAP, 2010). In order to attain these goals unified groups and agencies are needed to form a policy.
The Formulation Stage During this stage of the policy process information from institutional and national research programs are gathered from reports, research projects, resource flows like human resources and development patterns, medical research councils, and ministries whose activities affect the health of people. Within this stage long and short term goals are stated considering future of health scenarios and relative research needs. Policy guidelines specifying priority topics and themes are formulated. Listed below are eight other factors included in this stage: * Resource allocation for clinical, basic and applied research * Human resource development * Strengthening the capacity of research institutions * Legislative requirements, procedures for evaluation, results and use * Informing the public of research outcomes/debates * Modalities for funding internal/externally
Collaboration within institutions and organizations in the U.S. and international
The HIV/AIDS policy will clearly state its goals, priorities and strategies to be adopted into policy. Policy making is a cycle that is continuous and facilitates organized thinking about policy. The World Health Organizations’ places health on the agenda of policy makers in all sectors and levels with the direction of being aware of consequences, decisions, and accepting the responsibility for health (WHO 1986).
The Legislative Stage During the legislative stage Congress, the executive branches, courts, and special interest groups become involved with the policy making process. The process continues with adoption and the passing of a bill into legislation by the Congress. During this time the regulation of the bill becomes final. The legislative stage presents strategy that propels service to every person regardless to race, gender, age or socio-economic status, having complete access to care and treatment of HIV/AIDS that is free from any discrimination or negativity (National HIV/AIDS Strategy, July 2010). The strategy includes timelines, goals and mechanisms for accountability. The administration presents plans for measuring progress and identifies steps for moving forward. The documentation includes evaluation on progress made and modifications where necessary when experiencing setbacks. The Federal agencies working together to make things happen are Health and Human Services Offices, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, and the Center for Disease Control .Other nongovernmental partners such as public health departments, health care organizations, physicians, individuals, and community based organizations, and tribal governments also work to encourage the plan of strategy. The development of state plans should ensure cooperation from local government, HIV/AIDS agencies, and health departments, tribal government, private and community-based groups. The plan should encourage and identify resources that allocate efficient and high quality of care and prevention while supplying social services to those in need. There are two acts that have passed the legislative process and the names of these acts are the Ryan White Act 1996 and the National Black Clergy for the Elimination for HIV/AIDS Act of 2009. The Ryan White Act is a discretionary care grant program which provides funding for the treatment of uninsured individuals including women, children, and infants. This act is the only one of its kind specifically designed to help those affected by the virus. Besides Medicaid/Medicare, the Ryan White is a major source of funding for HIV/AIDS patients.
The National black Clergy for the Elimination HIV/AIDS Act of 2009 was developed by black clergy, and other outstanding black organizations. The bill was introduced into legislation by a senator and representative from the democratic part of New York State. This bill is the first legislation to be led by black clergymen. The legislation calls for: The president to declare HIV/AIDS an epidemic in the black community | Directs the U.S. Health and Human Services Department to expand education targeting black men, women and teens | Mandates a national media outreach program urging testing for HIV/AIDS | Requires study of biological/behavioral factors leading to high rates of this disease among Black Americans (OHAP 2010). |

The policy making process is a collection of views involving authority and allocations which includes concepts of stakeholders and governing bodies. It aids the poor, local and state government through funding programs to encourage social goals (www.cliffnotes.com). Next the paper will discuss the Implementation stage.
The Implementation Stage The implementation stage is the stage where action is required. This is where the plan is set into motion. The principle keys involved are an executive committee, and health and medical councils. The ministry of health science and technology and a university consortium are other key members of the implementation team.
It is good for each to develop detailed plans and utilize available resources. The plan should describe areas of research, issues and needs enabling scientists to identify objectives with clarity. This helps the scientists to effectively respond to situations that may arise while taking accountability and responsibility for implementing their section of the national research program.
Research should render monitoring of progress, giving evaluation and feed back to policy makers and promote application of any useful research results. Finally authority should be delegated among all key persons involved in the process.
The Office of National Aid Policy leads the task to develop a national strategy for the fight against HIV. ONAP has hosted community discussion panels in 14 communities across the country with citizen reviewing ideas and suggestions on a series of HIV related topics. A report was published in April 2010, summarizing the responses to improve the Domestic HIV Epidemic statistics.
The targets that ONAP supports are quantitative and ambitious. The Centers for Disease Control shows improvement of interventions impacting the efforts made to prevent HIV. ONAP works with departments that support and monitor the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS strategy.
Departments such as HHS and Assistant Secretary for Health provide annual reports that contain information on coordinating programs, activities, meetings, and tracking of federal programs implemented in the states across the U.S. territory. The summary for the national aid strategy for 2015 is as follows:
The first quarter=25%, the second quarter=30%, the third quarter=90%, the fourth quarter=85%, the fifth quarter=80%, the sixth quarter=86% and for the seventh through the ninth quarters, each represents 20% shown above in the chart. The CDC proposes to reduce the incidence and diagnoses rates by the end of 2015. No measures and calculations are accurate, but data collection helps to find ways that could resolve the battle of HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U. S. By the end of 2015 the CDC plans are to bring reductions in new infections, increase access to care and improve outcomes, and reduce HIV related health disparities.
Reducing New Infections * By 2015- 25% increase in the reduction of new infections (from 56,300 to 42,225) * Reduce HIV Transmission rate in relation to people living with aids for 30% (5 persons infected per 100 with HIV to 3.5 persons infected per 100 with HIV) * Increase 79% to 90% living with aids knowing the serostatus (from 948,000 to 1,080,000 people)
Increasing Access to Care/Improving Outcome * 65-85 % (from 26,824 to 35,078 people) increase proportion of new diagnoses linked to clinical care within 3 months * 73-80% increase proportion Ryan white HIV/AIDS program clients who are in continuous care (251,924 to 260,739 people in continuous care) * Increase number of Ryan White clients with permanent housing from 82-86% HUD housing

Reducing HIV related health disparities while working to improve access to prevention and care services for all Americans by 2015 * Increase proportion of disease in Blacks Americans diagnosed gay and bisexual men with undetectable viral load by 20% * In proportion of HIV diagnosed in Blacks with undetectable viral load by 20% * Increase proportion of diagnosis Latinos with undetectable viral load by 20%
All numbers are based on current estimates (National HIV/AIDS Strategy Report July 2010). The complexity and reasoning of HIV is great. This health issue requires the involvement of everyone to help address the problems confronting this epidemic. The Governmental agencies, individuals, physicians, practitioners, health organizations, wages to assist the Offices of the National HIV/AIDS Policy in taking accountability and responsibility for the health of the American people. Commitment is needed from all parts of the private sector and those living with HIV/AIDS to take an initiative in leading communities affected by this disease. This is a policy striving to extend the lives of all infected and living with AIDS. It is the policy’s vision to view AIDS as a rarity in the United States (NHAP July 2010).

.References
National HIV/AIDS Policy, http://www.whitehouse.gov
HIV/AIDS Elimination Act, http://www.nblc.org
Regional Health Forum WHO South-East Asia Region, (Volume 5 Number 2) “Formulation, Implementation and Evaluation of Health Research Policy” Retrieved from Internet June 9, 2011
The Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, http://www.ohap.gov
http://www.cliffnotes.com