Summit County Public Health and its community partners strive to provide culturally competent and supportive care in safe and welcoming environments. Our aim is to reduce the stigma associated with HIV and HIV testing and to ensure community members have regular access to HIV prevention and care services.
The HIV Prevention Program is grant funded through the Ohio Department of Health to serve a 5-county region that includes Summit, Portage, Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana counties. SCPH works with our local HIV planning group, the Northeast Ohio Regional Advisory Group (NEORAG), to develop a high impact HIV Prevention Plan that identifies priority populations for prevention services, as well as strategies for effectively delivering services which include:
- Free and confidential HIV counseling, testing, and referral services
- Condom Distribution
- Prevention education and outreach events
- Social marketing efforts
- Partner notification services, comprehensive prevention, and linkage to care for those diagnosed with HIV
HIV-PREVENTION PROGRAM PARTNERS
The Community AIDS Network Akron Pride Initiative (CANAPI) works to prevent the further transmission of HIV through education and risk reduction efforts, as well as provide housing assistance and other services to people affected by HIV. CANAPI targets outreach efforts to LGBTQ populations HIV counseling, testing, and referrals, group level evidence-based prevention programming, and outreach at LGBTQ-frequented gathering places.
SCPH partners with Equitas Health, which is a community-based, not-for-profit agency that uses a holistic approach to address the physical, emotional and social needs of those living with HIV/AIDS. They provide medical care, pharmacy and other direct services, and target populations are reached though testing, prevention and outreach activities.
Finally, Warren City Heatlh District partners with SCPH to provide Counseling, Testing, and Referral Services (CTRS), as well as conducting community outreach activities within their respective counties.
For questions or further information, please email: HIVSTIPrevention@schd.org.