The AIDS Institute

The AIDS Institutes (TAI) began as a grassroots community mobilization and advocacy effort in Florida in 1985. In 1992, this advocacy network became incorporated as a Florida 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to promote action for social change through public policy, research, advocacy, and education. As TAI evolved into a highly respected national organization over the years, it maintains its roots in Florida as the only statewide policy and planning organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS. Over the years, TAI has expanded its vision and scope to include policy offices in Washington, DC, and Tallahassee, Florida. TAIs administrative and program office is located in Tampa. The Tampa office is situated at the University of South Florida, College of Medicine. The breadth of TAIs programs includes: federal policy research, analysis, and advocacy; capacity building and technical assistance; public health research and analysis; education and training; HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis community planning and research; Florida statewide policy and advocacy programs; customized convening and communications. Some TAI specific programs include AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Children, Youth, and Families; Aging; and Florida HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network (FHAAN). Other programs include a micro-grant program Women Informing Now (WIN) and Center for Patient Advocate Leaders (CPALS). This expanded vision and scope of TAI effectively address the many aspects of HIV, hepatitis, and other chronic diseases- related issues. TAIs state and federal policy for HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs and health care access is the core of its portfolio. TAI uses the social determinants of health to help guide other issues and work on them as it relates to barriers and access to prevention, care, and treatment. We impact social change through improved policies, legislation, and resource allocation through our work with the state officials, the administration, executive agencies, congress, media, and national/community partners. These activities often impact the entire country. While the focus of TAIs mission is HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis, its goal is to prevent new infections for all those at risk, which are often at risk for other STIs.

The AIDS Institutes (TAI) education programs are expansive in scope and impact. As part of TAIs Florida Consortium for HIV/AIDS Research (FCHAR) program. TAI staff planned and facilitated the 2023 Florida Community Providers and Researchers (Florida CPR). The conference sponsors were TAIs FCHAR and the Southern HIV & Alcohol Research Consortium (SHARC), brought together community members, providers, and researchers to network with colleagues and peers, learn about ongoing and current research initiatives throughout the state, and create synergy amongst the attendees for potential future collaborative research projects. This unique event brought community stakeholders, healthcare providers, and researchers to the same room to cross-share information that might not otherwise be heard, promoting inclusion of community and providers perspectives into the research community. Another component of TAIs education and advocacy programs is the Patient Advocacy Leaders (PALS) Initiative and Center for Patient Advocacy Leaders (CPALs). PALS has been a trusted and respected series of patient advocacy meetings considered to be best-in-class. It was designed to connect diverse health advocacy leaders to improve their advocacy capacity and identify ways to collaborate and unify the voices of many. The Center (CPALs) was launched upon fundamental principles, practices, and values of PALS; the staff has been better able to harness and more broadly utilize the resources, learnings, and the collective advocacy actions of health leaders and their grassroots organizations from all across the country. This has ultimately led to amplifying the patient voice loud and making advocacy efforts more effective. The Advocate Advisor network (an expansion of our former PALS Advisory Board) is crucial to enabling our well-established advocate-centered model, By Advocates, For Advocates, which focuses on the needs of patients and caregivers, health advocacy leaders, their organizations, and the diverse communities they serve. In addition to establishing CPALs and expanding the pool of advisors, TAI also introduced a program called Patient Advocacy Leaders United (PALs United). PALs United programs are designed to focus on a single therapeutic area or population instead of cross-therapeutic/general healthcare programs like National PALs. Working in this more focused way allows for a deeper dive into the therapeutic area or populations issues, with a better chance for identifying and pursuing meaningful action. Another of TAIs programs is Women Informing Now (WIN) Micro-Grant Program. It was established to provide micro-grant funds to activate individuals and organizations leading grassroots HIV outreach projects that innovatively reach cis and/or transgender women to break down isolation and stigma via the prevention, education, and engagement regarding HIV and sexual health. TAIs capacity building & technical assistance, patient advocacy training & support, women & children programs, faith initiatives, public policy & health policy analysis, community and provider education, training & skills building, HIV/AIDS & hepatitis community planning, HIV/AIDS & hepatitis research, communications, convening, conference planning & meeting coordination, and a highly acclaimed intern and fellowship program are just some of the successful programs. This expanded vision and scope of TAI, effectively addresses the many aspects of HIV/AIDS and other chronic disease-related issues. Part of TAIs work included planning, coordinating, and facilitation of all-digital webinars, virtual meetings, and small and large-scale face-to-face meetings and conferences.

Florida Comprehensive Planning Network - The AIDS Institute coordinates and supports meeting logistics for the statewide Florida Comprehensive Planning Network (FCPN). HIV community planning is an ongoing, comprehensive planning process intended to help assure that resources, particularly federal HIV prevention and care resources, target populations living with or at risk for HIV infections. The FCPN is a community-based HIV prevention and patient care planning body that collaborates with the Department to develop a comprehensive statewide HIV prevention and care plan. In 2023, TAI added the Florida Viral Hepatitis Network (FVHN) to the activities which includes an annual face-to-face meeting. The purpose of this contract is for The AIDS Institute to assist the Department supporting the Florida Comprehensive Planning Network (FCPN), committees, and statewide workgroups with the coordination and planning of activities that impact persons living with HIV within the state of Florida. For 2023, there were three active workgroups as part of TAIs work with the Florida Department health contract. The workgroups include the Community HIV Advisory Group (CHAG), Florida Gay Mens Workgroup (FGMW), and the HIV Medication Formulary Workgroup (HSMFW), and the MSM Vaccine Group. TAI facilitated an additional meeting above our two planned regular FCPN meetings. The Florida HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Planning Network (FCPN) was a hybrid in-person/virtual formal with nearly 140 FCPN members, Department of Health staff, and community guests participating. The focus of the meeting was to develop further the Florida Statewide Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan CY 2022-2026 (Integrated Plan). The AIDS Institute also provided support for the Florida Comprehensive Planning Network (FCPN) to the following FCPN committees: Membership, Nominations, and Bylaws Committee, Coordination of Efforts Committee, Medication Access Committee, Needs Assessment Committee, and Executive Co-Chairs Committee. Additionally, TAI provides support for the Florida Viral Hepatitis Network (FVHN). Services performed by The AIDS Institute for this program include: administrative support services to FCPN, Committees, and Statewide Workgroups. Other services included but were not limited to: preparation, planning, and logistics for convening meetings; as well as related activities, conference calls, community training and education; communication; technical assistance; and records management. In addition, TAI coordinated communication such as scheduling, promoting, inviting, sending participation notices, and agendas, record management of meetings and conference calls for workgroups, planning, and advisory groups, and recording and distributing summaries of FCPN, and FCPN-related committees, and workgroup meetings.