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Date of Report: 02/2004
Source: Texas/Oklahoma AETC
On December 4, 2003, the Texas/Oklahoma (TX/OK) AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) kicked off its Prevention with
Positives (PWP) Project with a Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop in Richardson, Texas. This project is an excellent example of
collaboration that optimizes the use of resources and expertise. Funding for the project came from the Bureau of HIV and STD
Prevention of the Texas Department of Health, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV Prevention grantee. The
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau-funded AETC site at the Pennsylvania/ MidAtlantic AETC (PAMA
AETC) contributed the curriculum and the trainer. Workshop participants were educators employed by both HRSA grantees and CDC
grantees.
The first phase of the PWP Project featured Dr. Linda Frank, Executive Director and Principal Investigator, PAMA AETC, facilitating
a three-hour TOT for 38 educators. Participants came from Texas and Oklahoma, including such diverse locations as El Paso, Houston
and Oklahoma City. Participants who completed the TOT workshop are designated as PWP Basic Trainers charged with training a minimum
of three providers in principles and concepts of secondary prevention of HIV infection in the next three months and six providers
in the next year. In the second phase, staff from the TX/OK AETC visit PWP provider-training activities to observe and evaluate the
quality of training. The staff will share findings directly with trainers in a one-to-one interview. They will also use an
electronic listserv to share experiences and solicit advice from the AETC staff and fellow PWP trainers.
After a PWP Basic Trainer has trained at least six providers in secondary prevention of HIV infection, s/he is eligible to
participate in the advanced TOT workshop scheduled for March and will then be designated as a PWP Advanced Trainer.
TX/OK AETC PWP Project is an important initiative that addresses a critical content area and simultaneously ensures effective use
of resources and minimizes duplication of effort by drawing on expertise from both HRSA and CDC grantees. This project assures the
quality of training by building in evaluation that includes in-depth personalized feedback and further shares the results widely so
that training partners nationwide benefit from the lessons learned in this well-designed endeavor. The requirement for trainers to
share their acquired knowledge and skill with other trainers builds capacity and distributes expertise in numerous local
communities. From the outset, TX/OK AETC understood the need to continually develop trainers and rounded out this exemplary program
with an advanced course that will continually strengthen and maximize the quality of training for HIV/AIDS healthcare providers.
The TX/OK AETC PWP project is a model for effective training programs.
The TX/OK AETC is grateful to the Bureau of HIV and STD Prevention, Texas Department of Health, the PAMA AETC, and in particular,
Dr. Linda Frank, for support in the successful launch of the PWP Project.
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