Federal Register

The Minority Community Health Partnership HIV/AIDS Demonstration Program is administered by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The OMH was created in December 1985 with a mission to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through policies and programs that will help to address the health disparities and gaps. Consistent with its mission, the OMH serves as the focal point within the Department for leadership, policy development and coordination, service demonstrations, information exchange, coalition and partnership building, and related efforts to address the health needs of racial and ethnic minorities.

The Minority Community Health Coalition Demonstration Program, HIV/AIDS was developed in 1999 as part of the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in minority communities. In 2006 the program was renamed the Minority Community Health Partnership HIV/AIDS Demonstration Grant Program. The program continues with the purpose of improving the health status, relative to HIV/AIDS, of targeted minority populations through health promotion and education activities. This program is intended to test community-based interventions on reducing and ethnic minority populations, and demonstrate the effectiveness of community-based partnerships involving non-traditional partners at the local level in: (1) developing an integrated community-based response to the HIV/AIDS crisis through community dialogue and interaction; (2) addressing the sociocultural, linguistic and other barriers to HIV/AIDS treatment to increase the number of individuals seeking and accepting services; and (3) developing and implementing HIV/AIDS prevention, interventions, and educational efforts for targeted minority populations. The partnership approach is believed to be an effective strategy for health promotion and risk reduction among targeted minority populations, and is based on the premise that its use will result in interventions that are culturally sensitive, credible and more acceptable to the target population; that the project will address HIV/AIDS within the context of related socioeconomic issues; and that the effort will contribute to overall community empowerment by strengthening indigenous leadership and organizations.

The 12 projects described in this fact sheet are funded for the three-year project period September 1, 2006 through August 31, 2009. The grants are administered by community-based, minority-serving organizations that have established partnerships with at least two other organizations. Each project has a uniquely designed approach to increase the educational understanding of HIV/AIDS and improve access to prevention, testing and treatment services.

For additional information, please contact the Division of Program Operations, Office of Minority Health.