Midwest Integration of the National HIV Curriculum (MINHC)

Midwest Integration of the National HIV Curriculum (MINHC) project to integrate the National HIV Curriculum e-Learning Platform (NHC) into Health Care Profession Programs (HPPs) has received funding from HRSA to continue and expand its program.

In this new five-year period, the project will target HPPs located in the 57 priority jurisdictions identified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative. These jurisdictions are in 26 states, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The same jurisdictions are also designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas. As HIV care advances, more people are living longer with the disease, increasing the demand for HIV and primary care services. As a result, the need for highly trained HIV care providers has increased rapidly, creating significant new challenges for the health care system. To effectively address these HIV workforce shortages, and in support of the National goals to end the HIV epidemic, this project will equip future physicians, nurses and pharmacists with the ability to screen, diagnose, treat, and implement prevention interventions in their future practices. Methods: The proposed project will work with at least 23 carefully selected HPPs to

• integrate the NHC into existing curricula,
• train and support faculty to successfully deliver the credit-carrying courses in which the NHC is integrated,
• teach students/residents through the NHC,
• successfully evaluate all these proposed activities, and
• identify and disseminate best approaches to effectively integrate the NHC into the target health professions programs.

Through this project, 365 faculty members and 16,700 students/residents in programs of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and Family Medicine will be trained.

Evaluation & Outcomes

A rigorous evaluation plan that combines in-house evaluation with data elements required under the National Evaluation Plan, will include process and outcome evaluation measures. These will include the number of health professions programs that integrated the NHC into their curricula, the number of courses within each health professions program that the NHC has been integrated within, the number of faculty that have been trained in integrating the NHC into their courses, and the number of students that are trained in HIV care and prevention through the integrated NHC. Outcomes measures at the student level will include changes in knowledge, skills, and behaviors to diagnose, manage, and treat HIV, as well as changes in desire to provide care to people with HIV. Faculty outcome measures will include effective strategies for integration of the NHC into health professions curricula including lessons learned and barriers to overcome.