The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is developing a statewide HIV Outbreak Response Plan. DOH and partners aren’t currently responding to any outbreaks of HIV in Washington but having a plan in place will help us respond effectively if any outbreaks occur.
Community input is an essential part of this planning process.
Community Engagement Sessions
DOH has planned a series of conversations to gather community input from September-December 2022. This input will inform the draft of the HIV outbreak response plan, and future community engagement and ongoing work around cluster detection and response.
There will be 10 virtual sessions, including one in Spanish. Each session will last 2 hours maximum. Participants will be compensated for their time with a $25 gift card (limit one per participant).
- Who should attend these sessions?
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DOH hopes to engage individuals living in Washington state who are outside King County, and who are impacted by HIV. Public Health Seattle-King County has conducted their own community engagement sessions for King County residents.
If you are a person living with HIV (PLWH), a close family member or friend of someone living with HIV, or from a community disproportionately impacted by HIV, DOH would love to hear from you during one of these sessions.
Note: If you work at DOH, you will not be eligible to receive the incentive. Please do not register for these sessions. If you work for a local health jurisdiction (LHJ) or a community-based organization (CBO) that contracts with DOH, you will need to check with your agency for their policies on receiving incentives from DOH. If you want to participate, you will have to do so on your own time, not as a representative of your agency or organization. We are conducting a separate engagement process for partner LHJs and CBOs.
- Register to attend a community engagement session
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If you would like to attend one of these sessions to share your input, please select one of the sessions below and register.
Participants can connect online or by telephone, depending on your preference. You will find more details on how to connect after you register.
Session 1 (English): Wednesday, September 21, 12 pm – 2 pm PST Register
Session 2 (English): Thursday, September 22, 1 pm – 3 pm PST Register
Session 3 (English): Friday, October 28, 12 pm – 2 pm PST Register
Session 4 (English): Tuesday, November 8, 5 pm – 7 pm PST Register
Session 5 (English): Tuesday, November 15, 6 pm – 8 pm PST Register
Session 6 (English): Wednesday, November 16, 10 am – 12 pm PST Register
Session 7 (English): Thursday, November 17, 1 pm – 3 pm PST Register
Session 8 (English): Monday, November 28, 5 pm – 7 pm PST Register
Session 9 (Spanish): Tuesday, November 29, 5 pm – 7 pm PST Register
Session 10 (English): Thursday, December 1, 2 pm – 4 pm PST Register
Auto-transcription is enabled for all sessions but may not always be accurate. If you require any additional accommodations to attend a session, please contact Claire Mocha at claire.mocha@doh.wa.gov at least four weeks before the date of the session.
- What can participants expect at the community engagement sessions?
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In these sessions, DOH and partners will share more information about the HIV Outbreak Response Plan, including how we find clusters or outbreaks of HIV. We’ll ask for community feedback on our work, and we’ll get input on how to continue engaging community as we move forward.
These conversations will be led by an independent facilitator, Brian Minalga, MSW. DOH Office of Infectious Disease staff will be present for a portion of each session to share information about our work but will not be present during the feedback portion of the session.
Any feedback shared in the sessions will be reported back to DOH anonymously (without names).
Contact
Contact Claire Mocha for more information: claire.mocha@doh.wa.gov