Long Beach HIV/STD Strategy
2022 Year in Review
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The Long Beach HIV/STD Strategy Digest is a quarterly newsletter created to inform community stakeholders about our progress toward the HIV/STD Strategy goals/objectives. Our last newsletter was published in Spring 2022. Join us as we highlight the accomplishments of the rest of the year.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Everardo Alvizo, HIV/STD Strategic Implementation Specialist - Everardo.Alvizo@longbeach.gov
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Goal 1 – Reduce HIV and STD Infections |
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HIV/STD Surveillance Efforts in 2022 |
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HIV/STD Surveillance Report Update
We anticipate the 2020 Surveillance Report to be released early in 2023. The data team has worked hard to publish up-to-date numbers for all communicable disease, including MPOX. For the most recent published data please refer to 2019 Surveillance Report.
2022 HIV/STI Surveillance Team Milestones
- Distributed 16,000 condoms to LBUSD
- Distributed another 6,000 to community partners
- HIV Surveillance investigated 1,830 labs that were reported to the Health Department to determine if someone is newly infected with HIV.
- Started the Hepatitis C Linkage to Care Program due to the rise of HCV in Long Beach.
- HCV numbers
- 8 completed treatment
- 17 linked to care
- Investigated 95 cases
- Phlebotomy trained linkage
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- DIS were assigned 979 cases to determine if someone was currently infected with syphilis
- Surveillance received over 20,000 syphilis related labs
HIV/STD Surveillance has continued to see high numbers of syphillis cases needing investigation each month. As of July 31, 2022, there have been 584 cases assigned to disease intervention specialists (DIS). Compared to the same period in previous years, this is a 33% increase from 2019 (440 cases), a 44% increase from 2020 (406 cases), and a 5% increase from 2021 (556 cases). We suspect that with increased surveillance with MPOX that syphillis infections are being detected during the rule-out process.
DIS have also been assigned to the MPOX response given their experience with contact tracing and training on conveying health education and asking questions that could be sensitive. A Public Health Nurse has been hired to assist with enhanced case management for pregnant people to assist in preventing congenital syphilis. This individual is also helping vaccinate the community for MPOX. The Surveillance team continues to work on cases of both syphilis and MPOX currently.
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October and November Testing Numbers |
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Prevention Team/Mobile Testing Unit at Long Beach Trans Pride 2022 at Recreation Park, Long Beach
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Mobile Testing Unit & Sexual Health Clinic* Testing Numbers
October 2022
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135 Rapid HIV Test – Identified 3 Known Positives w/. 1 individual being out of care for more than 3 years. (linked into care to HCC)
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18 Chlamydia/Gonorrhea Test w/ 4 Positives Identified
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(22% positivity rate for CT/GC)
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5 Syphilis Test
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5 Hep C Test
November 2022
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171 Rapid HIV Test – Identified 1 Known Positive
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74 Chlamydia/Gonorrhea Test w/ 6 positives identified (8% positivity rate for CT/GC)
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32 Syphilis Tests w/ 9 positives identified
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32 Hep C Tests w/ 1 positive identified
Our Prevention Team offers walk-in HIV & Full Panel STI Testing free of charge every Friday at The Ronald Arias Health Equity Center in North Long Beach from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, please contact:
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Bavette Anderson, LVN - (562)570-4091
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Leo McLaughlin, HIV/STI Prevention Manager - (562)570-4289
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Goal 2 – Strengthen Capacity to Address HIV and STDs in Long Beach |
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TCC Family Health Secured the Ending the HIV Epidemic – Primary Care HIV Prevention Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA) ($325,000 per year for two years) to expand HIV prevention services that decrease the risk of HIV transmission in underserved communities. The grant provides funding to increase PrEP prescribing, outreach, HIV testing and workforce development.
Workforce development is key to ensuring that local primary care providers in Long Beach are informed and can provide HIV education/prevention/testing and referrals for HIV treatment in communities that have limited access to these services. Dr. Elisa Nicholas, CEO made this announcement at the Long Beach HIV Planning Group at its October 2022 quarterly meeting.
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Dr. Elisa Nicholas, TCC Family Health presents to the HIV Planning Group 10/2022 |
Securing Additional Funding Support
HIV/STD Prevention and EHE: $1,002,694 per year for a total of $2,005,388
(January 1,2023 through December 31, 2024).
Social and Sexual Networks: $256,213 per year for a total of $512,426 (January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2024).
These funds cover the following activities:
- HIV/STD Testing programs including MTU HIV/STD testing and treatment, linkages to PrEP, as well as EPT
- Surveillance collaboration and data to care activities/DIS/Partner Services
- Linkage to care/Outreach for both newly diagnosed and lost to care clients
- Quality management and data support
- Expanding SSPs/needle drop-off boxes
- Community outreach, engagement, and education activities, including provider detailing, to increase knowledge of RW, Prevention and Sexual Health Services.
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LB Memorial Pediatric Grand Rounds Over 30 Primary Care Providers from Long Beach Memorial Attended Ground Rounds Presentation on October 2, 2022 in honor of World AIDS Day |
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Continuing Provider Education Efforts
The HIV/STI Program continues to:
- Train all Long Beach Memorial residents who rotate at the health department about syphilis and HIV and the importance of reporting diseases on time.
- Collaborate with St. Mary Care Clinic and have an embedded disease intervention specialist (DIS) who is trained by the health department but stationed at the St. Mary Care Clinic to educate and ensure patients are properly treated.
- Work on expanding universal syphilis and HCV testing at St. Mary Emergency Department.
- LBDHHS was awarded the following grants to increase capacity: Congenital Syphilis, STD and HCV Prevention and Collaboration, and the Disease Intervention Specialist Workforce grant.
- Created a provider resource guide as a hub of information about screening, testing, and reporting STIs. The guide has quick scanning QR codes to retrieve information on listed topics.
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Los Angeles County Commission on HIV
Everardo Alvizo, LB HIV/STD Strategic Implementation Specialist, was nominated and voted in to become Co-Chair of the Operations Committee of the Los Angeles Commission on HIV. Operations Committee oversees commission membership and recruitment efforts.
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For more information, call Julissa at (562) 570-46362. |
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Goal 3 – Educate Communities on HIV/STD Prevention, Testing and Treatment |
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LB DHHS HIV Care Coordination Clinic staff at Long Beach Juneteenth Celebration 2022
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LB DHHS participates in Long Beach Pride 2022 Festival |
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LB DHHS participates in Long Beach Pride 2022 Parade
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The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services partnered to host the Long Beach HIV and Aging Summit in honor of HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day on September 17, 2022 at the Billie Jean King Main Library. |
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2022 Long Beach Transgender Day of Remembrance |
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2022 Long Beach World AIDS Day |
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Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) Outreach Team Hands Out Information About PrEP and PEP |
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Goal 4 – Increase Access and Engagement in Care for HIV and STD Treatment in Long Beach |
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Bicillin (BIC) Distribution Program
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We have created a Bicillin Distribution Plan to assist providers to overcome barriers to treating patients infected with syphilis. LBDHHS purchases and stores bicillin at the Health Department to work around barriers of cost and storage. Our team works to deliver these injections to the provider at the time of the appointment. Our hope is that we make this program as accessible as possible for our community.
This program is available to any local provider who is serving a Long Beach resident.
Current efforts have successfully treated patients in urgent care, primary care, OBGYN, and community health clinic settings. We have reached our goal of 10 clinics serving Long Beach residents! There have been 35 injections administered and have completed 18 courses of treatment. Providers have returned for additional assistance with other syphilis-infected patients
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Goal 5 – Expand PrEP and PEP Access in Long Beach |
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PrEP Navigator Joins the Department of Health and Human Services |
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My name is Luciano DúMonde (Pronouns: he/him/él) and I am the new Health Educator for the PEP/PrEP Program here at the Long Beach Health Department (LBDHHS). I have been here at the LBDHHS since June 2022. I have over 25 years of working experience in the field of HIV/STI.
I work with an amazing team which includes our two Nurse Practitioners: Kathleen Stroben and Jennifer Backer. Whom have a vast amount of clinical experience working with clients especially dealing with sexual health.
I hope to use my role as the LBDHHS PEP/PrEP Navigator to expand access to PEP/PrEP in Long Beach by working with our community partners to increase education on the importance of PEP/PrEP, especially withing our Latinx, Black/African-American, Asian-Pacific Islander residents.
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Department Secures UCLA AIDS Institute/CSULB Research Grant - $200,000/Year For Two Years |
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Long Beach Health and Human Services has secured a partnership with CSULB CHER to implement a PrEP research study. The study has the following aims:
Aim 1. To explore barriers to and facilitators of PrEP engagement among BLMSM and transwomen and PrEP services providers.
Aim 2. To obtain, using survey methods, locally relevant estimates of the scope and magnitude of PrEP experiences, barriers and facilitators, and services.
Aim 3. To disseminate study results to increase PrEP care continuum engagement in ways that are meaningful for the Long Beach community
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Addressing MPOX in Long Beach |
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In response to the impact of MPOX on the Long Beach community, efforts by the Health Department included communication outreach/education, and administering MPOX vaccinations by collaborating with 8 community-based organizations/clinics/pharmacies and also held clinics at community events/locations, including Trans Pride and Falcon LB Bar and Falcon North.
Numbers Vaccinated
Total Vaccinations Administered to Date:
- 1st Dose - 5,245
- 2nd Dose - 4,010
- Total - 9,255
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Community Town Hall Meeting Held in Partnership with the Long Beach LGBTQ Center |
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MPOX Clinics Held at Falcon LB Bar |
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MPOX Clinic at Long Beach Transgender Day of Remembrance 2022 |
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Follow @lbhealthdept on social media! |
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