Building the HIV Workforce and Strengthening Engagement in Communities of Color (B-SEC)

Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)1 play a critical role in the nation’s response to ending the HIV epidemic by educating and preparing the next generation of leaders, health care providers, researchers, educators, and public health professionals; conducting research that helps us improve the response to the HIV epidemic; and educating their faculty, staff and communities about HIV. This notice announces the opportunity to apply for the Building the HIV Workforce and Strengthening Engagement in Communities of Color (B-SEC) pilot program. Funding under this announcement will support a cooperative agreement for a 4-year award to a single organization to address the national shortage of minority-serving providers in the HIV workforce. The award recipient will integrate topics in HIV into health-related courses and the HRSA National HIV Curriculum (NHC) into the curricula of participating, accredited, health professions programs at undergraduate MSIs. Integrating topics in HIV into the broader curriculum offers an opportunity for more students to become educated about HIV regardless of their area of study. The NHC will be tailored for the discipline and academic year of the participating students. In addition, the organization will partner with MSIs to develop and implement community engagement activities, raise awareness about the advances in HIV care and treatment, and reduce the stigma that is a barrier to care in many communities of color. The Building the HIV Workforce and Strengthening Engagement in Communities of Color (B-SEC) pilot project will leverage the long-standing presence and trusted voice of MSIs in communities of color disproportionately affected by HIV to educate and train students in HIV, raise awareness about the advances in the care and treatment of HIV, and reduce stigma. The key components of the framework for this pilot project include: ? Development of eligibility criteria and methodology for identifying and establishing partnerships with participating undergraduate MSIs, including the technology platform needed to host and access the NHC and staffing allocated to participate in the curriculum integration; ? Support of technology needs and faculty training at participating undergraduate MSIs that meet the eligibility criteria established by the award recipient; ? Integration of HIV in two areas in the participating MSI curriculum: 1) Incorporate topics in HIV in the curriculum of health-related courses; and 2) Integrate the NHC into the curriculum of accredited health professions programs at MSIs; ? Establishment of opportunities for experiential learning for health professions students; ? Training and orientation of partnering MSI faculty on how to integrate the NHC into their existing programs and curricula and provide ongoing technical assistance and training to partnering MSIs; ? Collaboration with faculty leading health-related courses to integrate topics in HIV into their existing curriculum; ? Establishment of on-campus HIV awareness activities; and ? Establishment of an HIV Ambassador Program. For the purpose of this notice, funding will support a single organization to pilot a 4-year project to address national shortages in the HIV workforce by integrating the NHC into the curricula of at least two participating, accredited, undergraduate MSI programs and training faculty on how to use the newly integrated curriculum. Successful applicants must demonstrate a successful history of establishing partnerships with MSIs to advance health-related educational programs and integrating course curricula into institutions of higher education.

Eligible applicants include public and nonprofit private entities; state and local governments; academic institutions; local health departments; nonprofit hospitals and outpatient clinics; community health centers receiving support under Section 330 of the PHS Act; faith-based and community-based organizations; and Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations with or without federal recognition

Sherrillyn Crooks, PA-C

(301)443-7662