President’s signing of HIV/AIDS reauthorization bill on July 30, 2008 allows ASCP to continue laboratory strengthening work in Africa and Caribbean
After the U.S. government last year awarded the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) nearly $2.8 million in additional funding for its efforts in combating HIV/AIDS in Africa and other resource limited countries, the ASCP is again being called on by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue its efforts in strengthening laboratory services for the testing and monitoring of HIV/AIDS patients.
With a commitment of $4.5 million for 2008-2009, the ASCP was invited to apply for the “CDC Supporting Laboratory Training and Quality Improvement for Diagnosis and Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS Patients in Resource- Limited Countries” initiative. The dollar amount given is set each year. This program, contracted for five years, is implemented under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR II) and was created to enhance laboratory testing practices and services, thereby improving care and treatment for individuals with HIV/AIDS.
The anticipated award date is set for Sept. 30.
On May 30, 2007, President George W. Bush announced his intention to work with Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR and now the bill has passed. The five-year, $48 billion proposal is in addition to the United States’ initial $15 billion commitment made in 2003. PEPFAR’s goal is to treat 2.5 million people, prevent 12 million new cases, and care for more than 12 million people, including children orphaned by the disease.
“This is special and very humbling. Everyone from the volunteers to the ASCP staff is truly honored that the CDC recognizes and appreciates our efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said ASCP President Lee H. Hilborne, MD, MPH, FASCP, DLM(ASCP)CM. “Our members continue to be enthusiastic and excited to share our laboratory knowledge and skills with the people of the countries PEPFAR serves.”
According to the CDC’s proposal report to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ASCP was selected as an applicant because the organization has demonstrated its ability to successfully develop and implement training programs in 12 of the 15 PEPFAR countries. ASCP has the largest US-based membership of certified clinical laboratory technologists, scientists and pathologists. Additionally, ASCP is well known in the laboratory medicine community for its high quality continuing education activities.
ASCP’s activities for PEPFAR II include: customization of country-specific training packages for laboratory testing that support the diagnosis and monitoring of HIV/AIDS patients; continued technical assistance in the review and revision of clinical laboratory medicine university curricula; continued technical assistance in the strengthening of quality systems; and support of phased-in approaches to accreditation. ASCP volunteers develop distance learning continuing education programs. Countries that ASCP will continue their work in include: Botswana, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Côte d'Ivoire, Guyana, Haiti, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Swaziland, and Tanzania.
Since 2004, ASCP has trained over 1,400 laboratorians in laboratory management, phlebotomy, hematology, chemistry and CD4 testing to monitor HIV/AIDS/HIV patients in PEPFAR countries.
Click here to learn more about the ASCP’s PEPFAR-related efforts–also see the ASCP’s humanitarian-themed publication Critical Values. To read more about the PEPFAR initiative, click here.