Each member of the CPG has a specific role to play whether reflecting the perspective of a specific community, co-chairing, leading a committee or work group, or staffing the community planning process. There are specific roles and responsibilities that the health department and CPG are each expected to perform in implementing the community planning process. In addition, there are shared responsibilities between the health department and the CPG, and specific roles and responsibilities related to CDC's support and monitoring of HIV prevention community planning.

• Create and maintain at least one CPG that meets the goals and objectives and operating principles described in this Guidance.
• If there is more than one CPG in the jurisdiction, the health department is responsible for deciding how best to integrate statewide, regional, and local community planning.
• If there are multiple jurisdictions within a state (i.e., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and California; Chicago and Illinois; Philadelphia and Pennsylvania; New York City and New York; and Houston and Texas), the state and local jurisdictions are expected to have ready access to and review each other's comprehensive HIV prevention plans.

In addition, it is the health department's responsibility to support community planning activities, including:

• Supporting meeting logistics (CPG, public, and other input-focused meetings).
• Supporting CPG member involvement (such as transportation, expense reimbursement, etc.), especially for persons with or at risk for HIV infection.
• Supporting infrastructure for the HIV prevention community planning process (such as staff, consultants, contracts, etc.).
• Appoint the Health Department Co-Chair. If a state health department implements multiple CPGs, they may encourage local health departments to serve as the Health Department Co-Chair of such planning groups.
• Ensure collaboration between community planning and other relevant planning processes in the jurisdiction such as Ryan White CARE Act planning (Titles I, II, III, and IV) and STD prevention.
• Develop the epidemiologic profile and conduct the community services assessment. Because the health department has a responsibility to inform the public about emerging public health trends, including HIV/AIDS and other related health issues such as syphilis among MSM, it is responsible for developing both of these products (which may be developed by the health department or via a consultant or contract). However, the health department should discuss each of the products with the CPG and agree on the approach that will be used to develop the epidemiologic profile (e.g., types of data desired, format, etc.) and the community services assessment (e.g., types of data to be collected, the methodologies to be used, format, etc.).
• Provide the CPG with information on other federal/state/local public health services for high-risk populations identified in the comprehensive HIV prevention plan.
• For example, STD prevention and treatment, TB, hepatitis services, etc.
• Assure that CPGs have access to current information (including relevant budget information) related to HIV prevention and analysis of the information, including potential implications for HIV prevention in the jurisdiction. Sources of information include evaluations of program activities, local program experience, programmatic research, the best available science, and other sources, especially as it relates to the at-risk population groups within a given community and the priority needs identified in the comprehensive plan.
• Develop an application to the CDC for federal HIV prevention cooperative agreement funds based on the comprehensive HIV prevention plan(s) developed through the HIV prevention community planning process.
• Allocate resources based on the priorities presented in the comprehensive HIV prevention plan.
• Present the funding application and budget to the CPG with adequate time for the CPG to review and issue a written response.
• Demonstrate that the community planning process has met the Goals and Objectives of community planning.
• Allocate, administer and coordinate public funds (including state, federal, and local) to prevent HIV transmission and reduce HIV-associated morbidity and mortality.
• Award HIV prevention funds to implement the HIV prevention services stated in the comprehensive HIV prevention plan and health department application.
• Monitor contractor (service provider) activities and document contractor compliance.
• Provide regular updates to the CPG on successes and barriers encountered in implementing the HIV prevention services described in the comprehensive HIV prevention plan.
• Provide the CPG with local program evaluation data, where available.
• Report progress and accomplishments to CDC.

The CPG's role in HIV prevention community planning is to:

• Elect the Community Co-Chair(s), who will work with the health department-designated co-chair(s).
• Review and use key data to establish prevention priorities. The CPG should review all existing and new products (i.e., epidemiologic profile, community services assessment, prioritized target populations, selected set of prevention activities/interventions, and the comprehensive HIV prevention plan) prior to all decision making.
• Develop a Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan.
• The CPG's emphasis should be on developing a comprehensive HIV prevention plan that includes priority target populations and prevention activities/interventions. Target populations should be prioritized and prevention activities/interventions chosen based on their ability to prevent as many new infections as possible.
• The health department and CPG, together, determine if the CPG will take on responsibility for more than planning-related activities.
• Collaborate with the health department in reviewing and finalizing key community planning activities: the epidemiologic profile, the community services assessment, prioritized target populations, set of prevention activities/interventions, and the comprehensive plan for HIV prevention community planning.
• Review the health department application to CDC for federal HIV prevention funds, including the proposed budget, and develop a written response that describes whether the health department application does or does not, and to what degree, agree with the priorities set forth in the comprehensive HIV prevention plan.
  • This is often called the concurrence/non-concurrence process.

Shared Responsibilities — Together, the health department and CPG share in:

• Process Management: Develop procedures/policies* that address membership, roles, and decision making, specifically:
• Composition of the CPG; selection, appointment, and duration of terms to ensure that the CPG membership reflects, as much as possible, the epidemic in the jurisdiction (i.e., age, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, geographic distribution, and risk for HIV infection);
• Roles and responsibilities of the CPG, its members, and its various components (i.e., committees, work groups, regional groups, etc.);
• Process to prospectively identify potential conflict(s) of interest and methods for resolution of conflict(s) of interest for CPG members.
• Methods for reaching decisions; attendance at meetings; and resolution of disputes identified in planning deliberations.
• Membership Selection: Develop and apply criteria for selecting CPG members:
• Special emphasis should be placed on procedures for identifying representatives of at-risk, affected, and socioeconomically marginalized groups that are underserved by existing HIV prevention programs.
• Input Mechanisms: Determine the most effective input mechanisms for the community planning process.
• The process must be structured to best incorporate and address needs and priorities identified at the community level.
• The process should include strategies for obtaining input from key populations (e.g., IDUs, MSM, youth, undocumented immigrants, etc.) that may not be CPG members.
• Planning Funds: Provide input on the use of planning funds:
• Support CPG meetings, public meetings, and other means for obtaining community input;
• Facilitate involvement of all participants in the planning process, particularly those persons with and at risk for HIV infection;
• Support capacity development for inclusion, representation, and parity of community representatives and for other CPG members to participate effectively in the process;
• Provide technical assistance to health departments and community planning groups by outside experts;
• Assure representation of the CPG (governmental and non-governmental) at necessary regional or national planning meetings;
• Support planning infrastructure for the HIV prevention community planning process;
• Collect, analyze, and disseminate relevant data; and
• Monitor and evaluate the community planning process.
• Provide a thorough orientation for all new members, as soon as possible after appointment. New members should understand the:
• Goals and Core Objectives, roles, responsibilities, and principles outlined in this Guidance ;
• Procedures and ground rules used in all deliberations and decision making; and
• Specific policies and procedures for resolving disputes and avoiding conflicts of interest that are consistent with the principles of this Guidance .
• Evaluate the community planning process to assure that it is meeting the core objectives of community planning.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — The role of the CDC in the community planning process is to:

• Provide leadership in the national design, implementation, and evaluation of HIV prevention community planning.
• Collaborate with health departments, CPGs, national organizations, federal agencies, and academic institutions to ensure the provision of technical/program assistance and training for the community planning process.
• Work with the health department and the community co-chairs to provide technical/program assistance for the community planning process, including discussing roles and responsibilities of community planning participants, disseminating CDC documents, and responding to direct inquiries to ensure consistent interpretation of the guidance.
• Provide technical/program assistance through a variety of mechanisms to help recipients understand how to:
• Analyze epidemiologic, behavioral, and other relevant data to assess the impact and extent of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in defined populations;
• Analyze community services assessments and compile analyses of prevention program gaps;
• Prioritize target populations, and interventions based on their ability to result in the greatest decrease in new HIV infections;
• Identify and evaluate effective and cost-effective HIV prevention activities for these priority populations;
• Provide access to needed behavioral and social science expertise;
• Ensure PIR in the community planning process;
• Identify and manage dispute and conflict of interest issues; and
• Evaluate the community planning process.
• Alert health departments and CPGs about emerging trends or changes in the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
• Provide leadership in the coordination between health departments, CPGs, directly-funded community-based organizations (CBOs). CDC will provide leadership for internal collaboration that may impact HIV prevention programs and funding.
• Monitor the HIV prevention community planning process for implementation of the three goals and eight objectives.
• Collaborate with health departments in evaluating HIV prevention programs.
• Collaborate with other federal agencies and offices (particularly the Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institutes of Health, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, Office on Minority Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) in promoting the transfer of new information and emerging prevention technologies or approaches (i.e., epidemiologic, biomedical, operational, behavioral, or evaluative) to health departments and other prevention partners, including non-governmental organizations.