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.
Written by Aubrey Weber, Technical Officer, FHI 360 [caption id="attachment_1643" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] A mobile clinic for HIV testing is set up adjacent to a secluded bar in northern Thailand where MSM and trans people socialize (Photo: Jirantanin Tanachoknantaphat, Mplus Foundation).[/caption] For... Continue Reading
Written by Abrahim Simmonds, Project Officer, LINKAGES Jamaica, and Shelly Trim, M&E Technical Advisor, LINKAGES Jamaica The following blog post is preceded by this blog post on the development of custom indicators. In Jamaica, men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender... Continue Reading
Written by Lindsey Freeze, Brand & Creative Services Manager, IntraHealth International This blog post was first featured on IntraHealth International’s VITAL blog. [caption id="attachment_1633" align="alignnone" width="948"] Photo: UNICEF/Vlasova[/caption] A few years ago Dany Stolbunov, now 20, told his doctor in... Continue Reading
Written by Rose Wilcher, Director, Research Utilization, FHI 360 The USAID- and PEPFAR-supported LINKAGES project is excited to announce the arrival of a new supplement in the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) titled Optimizing the Impact of Key Population Programming... Continue Reading
Written by Hally Mahler, Project Director, LINKAGES, and Aubrey Weber, Technical Officer, FHI 360 [caption id="attachment_1615" align="alignleft" width="688"] Photo Credit: Ian Taylor/FHI 360[/caption] “We will only achieve HIV/AIDS epidemic control if we reach the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets for all ages,... Continue Reading
Webinar hosted by the LINKAGES project as part of the Key Populations: Evidence in action series. To access the audio recording of the webinar, please click here. On July 12th, the USAID- and PEPFAR-supported LINKAGES project hosted the sixth webinar... Continue Reading
Written by Abrahim Simmonds, Project Officer, LINKAGES Jamaica Traditional, face-to-face outreach has been the cornerstone of the HIV response in Jamaica. Outreach workers have the opportunity to identify members of key populations and navigate them through the full cascade of... Continue Reading
Written by Lirica Nishimoto, Program Officer, LINKAGES Three years of the intensive Program Acceleration effort have helped many LINKAGES countries successfully lay the foundation for, as well as scale up, quality key population programming. Countries now need support to optimize... Continue Reading
Written by Natasha Mack, Editor, FHI 360 [caption id="attachment_1592" align="alignnone" width="710"] A couple receives counseling on HIV and STI prevention at Soutoura’s Valentine’s Day event.[/caption] Valentine’s Day is for lovers. On February 14, 2018, Soutoura, a nongovernmental organization providing HIV... 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.