What is the Comprehensive Plan?

PURPOSE

In January 2017, the Ryan White Planning Council and the Houston HIV Planning Group released the Houston Area Comprehensive HIV Prevention and Care Services Plan (2017 – 2021). The purpose of the plan is to:

1. Identify HIV prevention and care needs, existing resources, barriers, and gaps within the Houston Area;

2. Outline a specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-phased (SMART) Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan designed to leverage existing and/or new resources and partnerships to meet HIV prevention and care needs, remove barriers, and bridge gaps; and

3. Describe the process by which implementation of the Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan will be measured, evaluated, and adjusted to best meet the needs of people living with or at-risk for HIV in the Houston Area.

The plan is intended for use by local HIV planning bodies, Administrative Agents and grantees, providers of HIV prevention and care services, both new and established community partners, and other decision makers as they respond to the needs of people living with or at-risk for HIV over the next five years.  

VISION

The greater Houston area will become a community with an enhanced system of HIV prevention and care. New HIV infections will be reduced to zero. Should new HIV infections occur, every person, regardless of sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, pregnancy, or socioeconomic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high-quality, life-extending care, free of stigma and discrimination.

MISSION

The mission of the 2017-2021 Houston Area Comprehensive HIV Prevention and Care Services Plan is to work in partnership with the community to provide an effective system of HIV prevention and care services that best meets the needs of populations living with, affected by, or at risk for HIV.

GOALS

To fulfill the mission and vision of the Plan and make progress toward an ideal system of HIV prevention and care for the Houston Area, the Houston HIV community must complete the following by 2021:

1. Increase community mobilization around HIV in the Greater Houston area.

2. Prevent and reduce new HIV infections.

3. Ensure that all people living with or at risk for HIV have access to early and continuous HIV prevention and care services.

4. Reduce the effect of co-occurring conditions that hinder HIV prevention behaviors and adherence to care.

5. Reduce disparities in the Houston Area HIV epidemic and address the needs of vulnerable populations.

6. Increase community knowledge around HIV in the Greater Houston area.

OBJECTIVES

To replicate the specific, quantified, and time-phased (SMART) NHAS 2020 indicators at the local level in a way that is responsive to the unique HIV prevention and care needs of the Houston Area, the Houston HIV community will accomplish the following by 2021:

1. Reduce the number of new HIV infections diagnosed in the Houston Area by at least 25% from 1,386 (2014) to ≤1,004.

2. Maintain and, if possible, increase the percentage of individuals with a positive HIV test result identified through targeted HIV testing who are informed of their positive HIV status, beginning at 93.8% (2014).

3. Increase the proportion of newly-diagnosed individuals linked to clinical HIV care within one month of their HIV diagnosis to at least 85% from 66% (2015).