HP+ is Engaging with Health Facilities to Reduce HIV-related Stigma and Discrimination
February 23, 2017
“I’m more aware of the tone of voice, my body language, questions I ask, how I ask them.” This feedback was provided from a health facility worker after completing the Jamaica Key Populations Challenge Fund Stigma-reduction Training for health facility workers in Jamaica. The participatory materials used in the training were adapted from the USAID- and PEPFAR-funded Health Policy Project’s (HPP) Comprehensive Package for Reducing Stigma and Discrimination in Health Facilities.
The stigma and discrimination (S&D) reduction package is a series of tools with three main components: assess, train, and sustain. The package is based on a globally validated measurement tool and a “best of” set of participatory training materials based on experiences in nine countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and South and Southeast Asia. The total facility approach for reducing S&D in health facilities covers all staff working in a facility, from support staff through clinicians. This toolkit continues to be effectively implemented by the HPP follow-on project, Health Policy Plus (HP+)—also funded by USAID and PEPFAR—in addition to a number of external stakeholders.
The S&D package was presented at a webinar, “Engaging with Health Facilities for HIV-related Stigma Reduction,” on February 16, 2017. At the webinar, HP+ staff joined USAID colleagues to share HP+ best practices, resources, and current work related to engagement with health facilities for HIV-related stigma reduction.
Noah Metheny, a stigma, rights, and key populations technical advisor for USAID, opened the webinar with a discussion of stigma and discrimination language found in PEPFAR Country/Regional Operational Plan guidance. Laura Nyblade, HP+/RTI senior technical advisor for stigma and discrimination, followed with a comprehensive overview of the package. USAID Ghana’s Suzie Jacinthe rounded out the webinar with a report on how the stigma-reduction package is being successfully implemented in Ghana. Jacinthe also noted that the Ghana activity is currently being costed, the first time that data will be collected for the intervention.
The stigma-reduction package has been implemented across the globe, with implementation ongoing in Ghana, Tanzania, and Jamaica. This work will continue in the coming months, with data collection, training, and sustainability work in multiple health facilities in each country.
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