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Program Goals

Introduction and Focus

The IHS HIV/HCV/STI Program serves as a national resource for IHS. It aims to include all service delivery systems, both internal and external, including IHS, tribal, and urban Indian healthcare facilities (I/T/U). Program goals include increased diagnoses, prevention, treatment, and response from AI/AN-serving organizations, people living with HIV/HCV/STIs, clinical and public health staff, and federal agencies.

IHS HIV/HCV/STI Program Vision

We envision a world in which all Indigenous people are healthy in mind, body, and spirit; new HIV, hepatitis C, and sexually transmitted infections are rare; every person knows their status and lives free from stigma and discrimination; and every person has access to high-quality, holistic care that reflects Indigenous values.

Program Mission:

  1. Serve as a model for a planning process that can be referenced, reproduced, evaluated, and adjusted;
  2. Identify components and priority areas needed for comprehensive HIV/HCV/STI efforts;
  3. Act as a guide for I/T/U health personnel with activities that are both collaborative and integrative;
  4. Develop a focused process to enhance efficiency and avoid redundancy of initiatives within and external to IHS;
  5. Develop a consistent process for strategic planning;
  6. Design a framework for comprehensive planning;
  7. Achieve the highest quality program that serves the IHS mission and supports the Director’s initiatives; and
  8. Serve as a blueprint for further development and progression of the IHS HIV/HCV/STI Program.

Program Goals

  1. Reduce new HIV/HCV/STI infections among AI/AN people;
  2. Assist AI/AN individuals in becoming aware of their HIV status;
  3. Increase linkage to medical care for AI/AN people living with HIV/HCV/STI;
  4. Increase the rate of viral suppression for those living with HIV, sustained virologic response for those living with HCV, and cure rate for those living with STIs;
  5. Increase the uptake of biomedical prevention methods such as HIV PrEP;
  6. Increase education and open discussion about HIV/HCV/STIs; and
  7. Form sustainable collaborations and integrative approaches to maximize resources for HIV/HCV/STI diagnoses, prevention, treatment, and response.