EpiC is an eight-year global initiative that provides strategic technical assistance and direct service delivery to achieve HIV epidemic control and strengthen global health security.
ABOUT THIS WEBINAR SERIES: The USAID- and PEPFAR-supported EpiC project was pleased to host a webinar series on how to deliver HIV services using online and virtual platforms. This series offers practical skills building for various approaches outlined in FHI... Continue Reading
Written by Robyn Dayton, Gender Advisor, EpiC & LINKAGES, FHI 360 HIV programs for key populations—gay men and other men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers, and transgender people—provide myriad opportunities every day to integrate... Continue Reading
On November 13, 2020, US Ambassador Sung Y Kim officially handed over 83 Vyaire LTV/2200 ventilators to Central Java province in a virtual ceremony moderated by USAID/LINKAGES and attended by the Ministry of Health Director General of Health Services and... Continue Reading
The first case of COVID-19 was reported in late February in Nigeria with a rapid increase in the following weeks. As the government and organizations funded by USAID and PEPFAR activated a cross-sectoral collaboration in response, the need for ventilators... Continue Reading
The USAID-supported LINKAGES project in Indonesia coordinates with the Indonesia Ministry of Health, 34 Provincial Health Offices, targeted District Health Offices, and Meditrans on the distribution, set-up, and use of mechanical ventilators donated to the country by USAID. To build... Continue Reading
Aubrey Weber, Technical Officer, Research Utilization, FHI 360Benjamin Eveslage, Technical Advisor, Online HIV Services, FHI 360 Adapting to the “new normal” of COVID-19 has dramatically impacted our daily lives and routines. For HIV programs, this has required shifting many aspects of service... Continue Reading
Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa are implementing decentralized drug distribution (DDD) models to make HIV treatment services more convenient for patients while reducing the burden on health systems. To support these efforts, the USAID- and PEPFAR-supported Meeting Targets and Maintaining... Continue Reading
Aiyanna James, Technical Officer, EpiC/COVID-19, FHI 360Rose Wilcher, Knowledge Management Director, LINKAGES & EpiC, FHI 360 As of October 2020, South Africa has the highest recorded number of total cases of COVID-19 and reported deaths from COVID-19 in Africa, and the ninth... Continue Reading
Ria Ningsih, LINKAGES IndonesiaLucyan Umboh, LINKAGES IndonesiaStevie Daniels, Editor, FHI 360 Community-based support staff member from Yayasan Inter Medika explains Jak-Support fund to a client. (Photo: Ria Ningsih) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many key population members, people living with... Continue Reading
Caroline Francis, Project Director, LINKAGES Indonesia Photos: LINKAGES Indonesia With over 100,000 confirmed cases as of July, Indonesia has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in Jakarta, the vast majority of people living with HIV (PLHIV) have continued... Continue Reading
This blog is managed by the EpiC project and dedicated to sharing stories, events, and resources from HIV epidemic control efforts around the world.
Assessment
A questionnaire or “screener” meant to be used with individual patients in a clinical setting to screen for, help diagnose, or monitor progress for individual mental health conditions.
Intervention
Larger packages or broader-reaching resources that describe actions or activities to be implemented. These may be appropriate for individuals, groups, and/or programs.
Anxiety
Feelings of fear, dread, and uneasiness that may occur as a reaction to stress. Anxiety can be a symptom or a feeling; it can also be a clinical diagnosis of a mental health condition.
Burnout
A state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress, typically related to one’s work, that is not managed well. Burnout is considered an occupational phenomenon.
Clinical diagnoses
Mental or neuropsychiatric disorders, or disruptive, unusual, or maladaptive behaviors that have been evaluated and diagnosed by a trained medical professional.
Depression
A mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.
Disability
A physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities.
Insomnia
A sleep disorder, or disordered sleep pattern, characterized by trouble falling and/or staying asleep.
Overall well-being
The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy; judging one’s own life positively; generally, “feeling good.”
Post-traumatic stress (PTS)
A normal adaptive response to traumatic or stressful life events that can result in a wide range of distressing symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) differs from PTS and is a clinical diagnosis.
Self-efficacy
An individual’s belief in their capacity to act in the ways necessary to reach specific goals.
Self-harm/suicidality
Deliberate injury to oneself as an emotional coping mechanism, ranging from cutting oneself to suicide. Expressions of self-harm and/or suicidality are usually considered an emergency and should be assessed and managed by a trained professional.
Social support
The perception that one is cared for, has assistance available if needed, and that one is part of a supportive social network.
Stress
Any type of change to one’s internal or external environment that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. “Managing stress” is an effort to return from this state of strain or disturbance to homeostasis or well-being.
Substance abuse
Use of a substance (usually drugs or alcohol) in amounts or by methods that are harmful to oneself or others. Substance use disorder (SUD) and addiction are distinct clinical diagnoses.
Trauma
Lasting biopsychosocial and/or emotional response that often results from experiencing a terrible event such as an accident, crime, military combat, or natural disaster, or a series of chronic traumatic events like persistent abuse or neglect.
Program beneficiary
Individual who receives program services; an entire group or population may be the recipient of services.
Service provider
Individual who directly provides services to another individual, group, or population (the “program beneficiary”) through a program.