The two-day Integrated HIV Symposium that was hosted by our HIV Prevention and Ryan White Part B Programs, and the Maricopa County Ryan White Part A Program was a huge success. More than 175 people attended presentations from individuals who have been locally and nationally recognized for their HIV work. Participants included state and county health department staff, community based organization staff, clinicians and community members from across Arizona and Nevada.

The work of several Arizona HIV service providers was showcased, including Ebony House, Project Hardhat, Maricopa Integrated Health System, and Native Health. Several sessions addressed HIV-related health disparities, while others focused on provider-centric issues such as compassion exhaustion and cultural competency training.

The second day of the symposium was a half-day interactive planning process designed to build a framework for the strategies and activities needed to effectively end the HIV epidemic in Arizona by 2021. Participants worked in one of four regional, super hero themed groups, to address the specific needs and barriers of the Arizona communities. All strategies and activities were aligned to National HIV/AIDS Strategy. More than 130 people participated in this planning process.

The work completed on Day 2 will be used by the HIV Statewide Advisory Group to develop its five-year HIV prevention and care plan. The Advisory Group encourages community input and is recruiting new members.