HIV/STD AND VIRAL HEPATITIS PREVENTION
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Bureau of HIV/STD and Viral Hepatitis
Prevention Bureau Chief - Marlene McNeese-Ward Mission Statement: To work in partnership with the community to assess, plan, and implement effective public health strategies to reduce the spread of HIV, viral Hepatitis and other sexually transmitted diseases in the City of Houston. Vision Statement: Spanning more than 1,700 square miles with nearly 3.7
million residents, Harris County is the most populous county in Texas
and the third most populous county in the United States. Harris
County remains the eighth most HIV/AIDS impacted local jurisdiction
in the United States with approximately 19,000 to 21,000 people living
with HIV or AIDS. In 2004, the jurisdiction’s AIDS case
rate of 23.9 (per 100,000 residents) was higher than the national AIDS
case rate of 15.0. Within Harris County, the City of Houston covers
more than 600 square miles with over 2 million residents, making it
the fourth most populous city in the United States. The City of
Houston accounts for more than 95% of HIV and AIDS cases within Harris
County. The Houston Department of Health and Human Services
(HDHHS) is operated by the local city government to provide leadership
in the promotion and protection of the health and social well being
of the Houston community through advocacy, education and community-based
health services. The Bureau of HIV/STD Prevention has an operating
budget of approximately $9 million consisting of federal, state, and
local funding sources, and is one of only seven local jurisdictions
directly-funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
for HIV Prevention Services. One purpose of the Bureau of HIV/STD and Viral Hepatitis
Prevention is to develop an effective response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic
in Houston/Harris County by improving our response to HIV infection
and associated risk factors, preventing the spread of HIV, maximizing
health and social outcomes and coordinating effective and efficiently
targeted comprehensive services for those at risk for, living with or
affected by HIV. Approximately 13 direct service community-based
organizations (CBOs) are funded to provide HIV/STD Counseling, Testing,
and Referral Services (CTR), Health Education/Risk Reduction (HE/RR),
Social Marketing, and Comprehensive Risk Counseling Services (CRCS).
With a staff of 60 individuals, the Bureau serves as an administrative
agent to these CBOs, conducting monitoring and evaluation activities
and providing capacity building and technical assistance as needed. Contact us at 832.393.5010 or hivstdvh@houstontx.gov
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