Benchmarks and Strategies to Address HIV in Paterson, NJ

• Current benchmarks/ goals

The state of New Jersey has several goals regarding the issue of HIV. The goals seek to positively affect the lives of the people within the state, including the people of Paterson, NJ. According to the State of New Jersey Department of Health (2021), one of the main goals is to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission. The state aims at minimizing the number of new cases and the rate at which transmission happens amongst both adults and adolescents. The health wing bases this goal on the records collected between years 2010 and 2020. They indicate that the rate of transmission has been reducing amongst the Whites, Blacks, and Hispanic people living within the state. However, the rates have been fluctuating. The department aims at minimizing the number of transmissions to 12.5 per 100,000 people, down from 17.9 people in 2010.

The State of New Jersey Department of Health has several other goals that can positively affect the people of Paterson, NJ. Amongst them is to increase the number of adolescents and adults receiving HIV/AIDS care and treatment. This number stood at 55% in 2010. The department aims at achieving 65% in 2021 (State of New Jersey Department of Health, 2021). However, the available data shows that there is minimal progression towards the goal. There is a need to increase the efforts being implemented towards achieving the goal. Another major goal is to increase the proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS who are achieving a suppressed viral load. The goal is to raise the rate from the 48.0% achieved in 2010 to 93.8% in 2021. The department also hopes to reduce the rate of people dying of HIV/AIDS from 3.9% t0 2.0%. It is also pursuing the goal of reducing the number of HIV and AIDS concurrent diagnoses from the 26.7% recorded in 2010 to 21.3%. Its progress in this area indicates that the rate at which it is progressing towards achieving this goal has by far surpassed the set target. The diverse population of Paterson, NJ is already benefitting from this and other achievements that have been made in each of the goals.

• Recommended strategies with evidence

The State of New Jersey Department of Health, in conjunction with other concerned parties, is implementing various strategies to achieve each of the set goals. The Department of HIV/AIDS recommends behavioral therapy to guide the infected on how they should behave to avoid infecting others. The department has demonstrated this strategy by launching the New Jersey Behavioral Health and Primary Care HIV Integration. The project is facilitating the interaction of behavioral healthcare providers to increase their effectiveness in guiding the infected on proper behavior. Another proposed strategy is to increase the amount of funds allocated to the treatment and care of people living with HIV/AIDS.  The department proposes that more funds should be directed towards taking care of the infected persons to ensure that more adolescents and adults benefit from the ongoing programs. Blending the Ryan White-HRSA with CDC HIV Prevention funding in 2017 to improve the care and treatment programs of 2017 exemplifies this strategy.

• Opinion of their relevance and cultural implications

The goals that have been set to cater to the HIV/AIDS needs of the population of New Jersey will be beneficial to the people of Paterson. One of the main reasons for this conclusion is that there is notable progress. The concerned parties have made significant strides in activating the various and numerous set strategies (State of New Jersey Department of Health, 2021). The ability of the respective departments to do so in the whole state means the people of Paterson, NJ are increasingly reducing the incidences and impacts of HIV/AIDS, thereby getting an improved state of health amongst various groups. Another reason for the opinion is that it is changing the mindsets of the people of New Jersey. There is a positive shift in the cultural orientation of the people, since the strategies being used in pursuing the goals seek to change the thoughts of people on HIV/AIDS. For example, behavioral therapy seeks to improve the thoughts of people on how they should behave to minimize the possibility of transmitting the disease to other people.

Policy Action Addendum

• Strategies to address HIV in Paterson, NJ

Several policies may be applied to facilitate activation of the set strategies. One of them is the legislative declaration that employers should take initiative to protect the welfare of the infected persons at the workplace (Global Business Coalition on HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, 2021). It is important that employers support the infected persons. They may do so in several ways. Amongst them is the declaring that employers should not terminate an employment contract or fail to hire a person for being declared HIV positive (Rutgers, 2018). A policy seeking to have non-discriminatory employers can assist the strategy of behavioral therapy by ensuring that the infected persons are undergoing therapy have the support they need to improve their behavior. The legislature may protect the workers by ensuring that they are protected from such unfair job loss. The judiciary can ensure that the policy is well implemented by ensuring that the employers who violate it face the necessary consequences.

Another viable policy action is ensuring that each of the state budget allocates a sizeable percentage of the funds to the welfare of the persons living with HIV/AIDS. The legislative committees in charge of the budget can formulate a policy that will be ensuring that the infected persons are well catered for by ensuring that each of the programs directed towards their welfare is up and running at all times.  For example, ensuring that the Care and Treatment program is sufficiently funded to support the two Linkage to Care Coordinators in its operation of supporting the Early Intervention Specialists (Rutgers, 2018). Funding this program and its relatives can ensure the welfare of the persons who are currently affected and facilitate the course of minimizing the rate at which infections happen.

• Options for policy improvement

The strategies that have been developed can be improved to ensure that the persons living with HIV/AIDS achieve the best state of health. Amongst them is declaring a threshold that each budget should achieve (State of New Jersey Department of Health, 2021). The legislature can decide on the amount that each budget should fund the programs dedicated to the welfare of the people of New Jersey. It will be particularly good if the parties in charge create a formula for calculating the percentage of the available amounts that will be dedicated to the welfare of the persons living with HIV/AIDS. Doing so will ensure that the persons living with HIV/AIDS are well catered for, and the rest of the population is well buffered from new infections and their impacts.