Denver Prevention Training Center

Denver Health And Hospital Authority, Denver CO

Investigators

Abstract

The Denver Sexually Transmitted Disease/Human Immunodeficiency Virus (STD/HIV)[unreadable] Prevention Training Center (PTC) Part I will provide clinical training for STD medical and[unreadable] laboratory services throughout Region VIII, including the states of Colorado, Montana, North[unreadable] Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Established in 1979 as one of the first clinical[unreadable] training sites, the Denver PTC has a long history of translating state-of-the-art research[unreadable] findings into high-quality STD/HIV training programs targeting health professionals across[unreadable] the region. Uniquely positioned in Region VIII both physically and organizationally, the[unreadable] Denver PTC is just steps away from the Denver Metro Health Clinic (DMHC), the largest[unreadable] STD clinic in the region, and is headed by Comelis "Kees" Rietmeijer, MD, Ph.D., Medical[unreadable] Director for both programs. Dr. Rietmeijer has, and will continue to have, authority over the[unreadable] Denver PTC Clinical Branch.[unreadable] The Denver PTC has both a strong partnership and a long working history with its academic[unreadable] partner, the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC), as[unreadable] well as with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Other[unreadable] key collaborators include the Denver PTCs Part II and III; Mountain Plains AIDS Education[unreadable] and Training Center (AETC) and their state-based training centers; John Snow Inc. (JSI), the[unreadable] area's Regional Training Center (RTC), and their Title X sites; Indian Health Services (IHS);[unreadable] the Salt Lake Valley Health Department (SLVHD); the Montana, North Dakota, South[unreadable] Dakota, Wyoming and Utah Departments of Health; and Kaiser Permanente, the region's[unreadable] largest managed care provider.[unreadable] Over the 5 year grant cycle, the Denver PTC will conduct 100 courses with didactic content,[unreadable] 145 courses with experiential content and 100-150 educational programs, reaching a total of[unreadable] 2,700 providers. The short-term objectives of the program will be to increase provider[unreadable] knowledge, skills and proficiency in the diagnosis, treatment and management of STDs and[unreadable] HIV. The long-term goals will be to address the Healthy People 2010 focus areas of STD[unreadable] and HIV, which include increasing CT & GC screening, treatment and partner treatment;[unreadable] decreasing primary and secondary syphilis; decreasing congenital syphilis; decreasing the[unreadable] numbers of persons at high risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV infection; and increasing[unreadable] the proportion of HIV-infected people who know they are infected.[unreadable] Ongoing needs assessment and evaluation will be performed to provide continuous quality[unreadable] improvement during the grant cycle. Working with our academic partners at the Department[unreadable] of Health Behavioral Sciences (HBS) at UCDHSC, regular needs assessment and program[unreadable] outcome data will be collected, analyzed, and reviewed at frequent intervals to refine and[unreadable] improve the quality of course content, format, delivery and marketing.[unreadable]