Lessons Learned Building The Capacity of African American Organizations

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Make It Work! Building the Capacity of CBOs & HDsImplementing Interventions in African

American Communities

Camille A. Abrahams, M.S.Camille A. Abrahams, M.S.African American Capacity Building Assistance InitiativeAfrican American Capacity Building Assistance Initiative

a program of the Harm Reduction Coalitiona program of the Harm Reduction Coalition

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Harm Reduction Coalition

Founded in 1994 to work with individuals and communities at risk for HIV infection due to drug use and high-risk sexual behaviors.

Committed to reducing drug-related harm by initiating and promoting local, regional and national harm reduction education, interventions and community organizing

Offer specific expertise in how to best incorporate the principles of health and safety promotion for drug users.

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HRC Programs & Services

Policy Advocacy Lifting the Federal Funding Ban on Needle Exchange

National and Regional Conferences Next conference: Miami, November 2008

The Institute @HRC Harm Reduction Training Institute Hepatitis C Project Skills and Knowledge on Overdose Prevention (SKOOP) Anti-Stigma Project African American Capacity Building Initiative (AACBI)

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Objectives of Roundtable Discussion To increase participants’ awareness about the successes

and challenges faced by a regional, racial/ethnic specific model of capacity building assistance (CBA).

To increase participants’ awareness of the specific CBA strategies and techniques implemented effectively by AACBI.

To encourage dialogue between CBA providers and consumers that result in best practices in the effective provision of CBA services in African American communities.

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IntroductionIn order for a comprehensive HIV prevention plan to be successful, community based organizations and their frontline staff must have the necessary skills and resources to respond efficiently and effectively to this epidemic.

Thus, CBOs must have the capacity to engage successfully in HIV prevention efforts, particularly those efforts involving the implementation of HIV prevention interventions that have proven to be effective.

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Background

In 2004, the CDC funded various organizations to provide capacity building assistance (CBA) in four areas:

(1) Strengthening Organizational Infrastructure for HIV Prevention

(2) Strengthening Interventions for HIV Prevention (3) Strengthening Community Access to and

Utilization of HIV Prevention Services (4) Strengthening Community Planning for HIV

Prevention

For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/cba/cba.htm

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What is CBA?

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HIV prevention capacity building is a process by which individuals, organizations, and communities develop abilities to enhance and sustain HIV prevention efforts.

The goal of capacity building is to foster self-sufficiency and the self-sustaining ability to improve HIV prevention programs, processes, and outcomes.

Capacity Building Assistance (CBA)

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Capacity building involves a variety of delivery mechanisms:

1) technology transfer

2) technical/capacity-building assistance

3) training

4) skills building

5) information dissemination

Capacity Building Assistance (CBA)

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Overview of AACBIIn 2004, the Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC)

received a 5-year grant from the CDC to be a Focus Area 2 CBA Provider for CBOs and health departments (HDs) working with African Americans communities in the North Region.

The African American Capacity Building Initiative (AACBI), a program of HRC, is a dynamic initiative aimed at reducing the infection and transmission rates of HIV/AIDS within African American communities.

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Goals of AACBI To strengthen the capacity of community based

organizations and health departments to develop and implement effective HIV prevention interventions

To increase the number of persons of African descent who get tested for HIV and who know their serostatus

To increase the proportion of HIV infected people of African descent who are linked to appropriate prevention, care and treatment services

To decrease the number of people at risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV infection

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Examples of AACBI CBA Services Adaptation, implementation, quality assurance, and

evaluation of effective HIV prevention interventions for high-risk seronegatives and HIV positive individuals.

Training on and adaptation of the Safety Counts and VOICES/VOCES Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBIs).

Integrating cultural competence and linguistic appropriateness into HIV prevention intervention activities.

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AACBI Team Camille A. Abrahams, Program Director

Jagadisa-devasri Dacus, Senior Director of Training and Capacity Building Programs (part-time)

Dorcey Jones, CBA Specialist

Adam Viera, CBA Specialist

Velvet Lattimore, Program Assistant (part-time)

Dr. Darrell Wheeler, Behavioral and Social Science Consultant

Dr. Bernadette Hadden, Evaluation Consultant

Angela Coleman, Curriculum Writer Consultant

AACBI Regional Consultants

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Lessons Learned

African American Capacity Building Initiative

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Methodology

Formal/informal interviews with AACBI staff Interviews and focus groups with CBA

consumers Review of case files that included action plans,

detailed progress notes, Consumer Satisfaction Surveys, CBA completion forms, and communications between AACBI and CBA consumers

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Lesson #1:A team-based approach helps to

ensure effective and efficient service delivery

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Lesson #2:The CDC’s current CBA request

process may need further refinement

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Lesson #3:Without relationship buildingand open communication,

CBA will not succeed

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Lesson #4:CBA consumers who are proactive,

committed, and have a clear understanding of their needs

become true collaborators in the process

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Lesson #5:It is important for organizations to

assess their organizational capacity before seeking to implement

interventions

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Lesson #6:Understanding the culture and prior

experiences of theCBA consumers is a prerequisite

for successful work

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Lesson #7:A coordinated effort among CBA

providers is needed to effect change on a national level

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Lesson #8:Although the CBA process is not always smooth, the outcome still

can be a success

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Lesson #9:Staff turnover results in loss of

institutional memory and momentum

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Lesson #10:Short-term CBA successes are documented, but time will tell whether long-term results are

achieved

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Lesson #11:CBA consumers need to feel a

sense of empowerment to be able to sustain their programs after the

CBA provider has left

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Lesson #12:Flexibility is key,

as change is inevitable

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Conclusions:

Many of the lessons centered on the need for open communication and collaboration between CBA providers, CBA consumers, CDC program officers, and CDC program consultants in order to ensure efficient and effective capacity building.

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Conclusions:

The overarching theme across the lessons learned is that providing capacity building assistance has its rewards, but it is not without its challenges.

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African American Capacity Building InitiativeA Program of the Harm Reduction Coalition

22 West 27th Street, 5th FloorNew York, New York 10001

Tel: 212-213-6376Fax: 212-213-6582

Email: [email protected]: www.harmreduction.org

Lessons Learned Building The Capacity of African American Organizations

Health & Medicine

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