Background
This three-year initiative developed and evaluated the implementation of comprehensive jurisdiction-level approaches for the screening, care, and treatment systems for people of color with both HIV and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). The Rand Corporation served as the Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center (ETAC), providing technical assistance and capacity building, and leading the evaluation activities across three Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part A jurisdictions: City of Hartford, Hartford, CT; City of New York, Long Island, NY; and the City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. In addition, the National Alliance for State and Territory AIDS Directors (NASTAD) was funded to select and fund two RWHAP Part B recipients to participate in this initiative: North Carolina and Louisiana. The ETAC is collaborated with the RWHAP Part F AIDS Education and Training Center National Coordinating Resource Center (AETC/NCRC) to develop National HCV Provider Competencies and Curriculum for HCV screening, care, and treatment, with a focus on people with HIV/HCV co-infection. The ETAC also designed and implemented a multi-site evaluation to assess the implementation and impact of the jurisdiction projects and to lead and coordinate the efforts for publication and dissemination of best practices, lessons learned, and other findings from the initiative. This Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program initiative is supported through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health’s Minority HIV/AIDS Fund (MHAF).