In response to the domestic HIV epidemic, the U.S. president Barrack Obama signed an Executive order the HIV Care Continuum Initiative. The initiative addresses the continuum of HIV through a directive to Federal agencies to prioritize the issue. The executive order calls for efforts as well as federal resources so as to increase HIV testing, services as well as management hence better the patient access. The President’s order further directs the creation of an HIV Care Continuum Working Group to oversee the implementation of the executive order.
The establishment of the HIV Care Continuum initiative by the president indicates a step towards the continuous implementation of the National HIV/AIDS strategy. According to the executive order, in 2010, the White House freed the first all-inclusive National HIV/AIDS Strategy. This introduced several goals for sinking new HIV infections. It also helps in providing better health outcomes for HIV victims. Consequently, dropping HIV-related health problems as the strategy ensures continuous service as the plan for the national rejoinder to the domestic epidemic2. The initiative will embark on undertakings that will focus on the drop-offs by the side of the continuum of care and ensure an increment of the number of individuals infected with the virus manage effectively; hence the continued implementation of the HIV continuum.
The order calls for more coordination, collaboration as well as accountability of the concerned federal departments and agencies. This boosts the efforts that are directed towards addressing the epidemic. It also includes the collective efforts as a nation through the increased use of evidenced based approaches aimed prevention and care among populations and in regions where HIV is most concentrated. It also requires that federal agencies increase the efforts to encourage more HIV testing, services as well treatment of the epidemic. All the efforts are expected to achieve the goals of the strategy and eventually offer an AIDS free generation.
The HIV Care Continuum Initiative Executive Order further enables the establishment of a working group. The purpose of the working group will entail supporting the continuum initiative by encouraging and coordinating federal efforts to better the upshot of the HIV care continuum. It will also have to consult with the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS as the group deems it fit. The working group is tasked with requesting and looking into the agencies’ efforts towards ensuring better HIV testing, care as well as treatment outcome. It will therefore make sure that there is appropriate emphasis on addressing the domestic epidemic. The working group will identify the possible fall backs for the continuum, the opportunities for addressing the issues and continuously recommend the way forward. The group will also give specific ways on how to improve the coordination of federal efforts for better outcome.
In short, the establishment of the HIV Care Continuum initiative by the president indicates a step towards the continuous implementation of the National HIV/AIDS strategy. The order calls for more coordination, collaboration as well as accountability of the concerned federal departments and agencies. The Executive Order further enables the establishment of a working group which will support the initiative by encouraging and coordinating federal efforts to better the upshot of the HIV care continuum. The Working Group will also report the progress of the initiative back to the president.
Bibliography
Colfax, Grant. Focusing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: The HIV Care Continuum Initiative. 2013. Accessed July 18, 2013. http://blog.aids.gov/2013/07/focusing-the-national-hivaids-strategy-the-hiv-care-continuum-initiative.html.
Obama, Barrack. Executive Order -- HIV Care Continuum Initiative. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 2013. Accessed July 18, 2013. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/15/executive-order-hiv-care-continuum-initiative.
