The Equal Access Initiative (EAI) Computer Grants Program is sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of AIDS Research (OAR), to help organizations build technological capacity with the goal of enhancing their ability to improve prevention and treatment information for their clients. Each year, qualified community-based organizations (CBOs) in the United States, its territories and possessions are invited to submit an application to receive one of 100 state-of-the-art desktop computers.

In 2007, NMAC partnered with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to expand the scope of the program by including a series of training classes held at the 2007 United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) for the recipients of the EAI Computer Grants Program.

The purpose of the Equal Access Initiative: HIV/AIDS Information Resources from the National Library of Medicine training course was to familiarize participants with reliable online health information from the NLM and other reputable resources that address HIV/AIDS and related medical conditions. Skills and knowledge acquired in this training enable representatives of community organizations to effectively access treatment and prevention information to better serve their clients, colleagues, and communities.

The participants were provided a workbook and a tool kit which consisted of resources such as A Quick Reference Guide to HIV/AIDS Treatment Resources on the World Wide Web CD, AIDSinfo Glossaries (English & Spanish), NIH Health Hotlines, NLM AIDS reference cards, NLM brochures and handouts, and other resources. The Equal Access Initiative program will continue in 2008, and the “HIV/AIDS Information Resources from the National Library of Medicine” training will be held at the 2008 United States Conference on AIDS.

National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) Equal Access Initiative Computer Grants Program

National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of AIDS Research (OAR)

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