|
||
|
|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ethiopia Poised to Open New Regional AIDS Resource Center in Oromia With Support from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan and the Global FundRegional Hub is First Extension of National Center in AddisADDIS ABABA , Ethiopia — A new high-tech center loaded with up-to-date and accurate HIV/AIDS information and resources is set to open in Adama in the Oromia region as an expansion of the national AIDS Resource Center (ARC) located in Addis Ababa . The national ARC opened in 2002 through an innovative public/private partnership between the Ethiopian Government's HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the John s Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP), and the Constella Group. The national center is part of Ethiopia 's national HIV/AIDS strategy and was the first center of its kind in the country. The regional center in Oromia is the first to be developed as a result of the national center's mandate to strengthen capacity by expanding to all of Ethiopia 's 11 regions. The regional center is funded by President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through CDC, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria through HAPCO. "This is a very good example of how two top sources of funding, PEPFAR and the Global Fund, are being harmonized and working together in the country for maximal impact" said Dr. Tadesse Wuhib , the CDC Country Director. In Oromia, the center will be fully integrated into the Oromia HAPCO office, where regional staff will receive orientation, training, and ongoing technical support from the national ARC. The Oromia ARC and Oromia HAPCO office will be connected to the national HAPCO and ARC network to more easily share information and give staff immediate access to the ARC website and databases. The Oromia ARC will provide access to the Internet through h igh-speed computer terminals for users to conduct research on current health issues; support the projects and activities of the regional HAPCO and Health Bureau in HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and tuberculosis (TB); and offer Ethiopia print and broadcast media local perspectives and information on HIV/AIDS issues. It will house a comprehensive multimedia library of materials on HIV/AIDS, voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), prevention of mother to child HIV transmission (PMTCT), antiretroviral therapy (ART), STDs, TB and other health-related issues. Audio-visual equipment for viewing media and utilizing for HIV/AIDS programs and activities will also be made available, as well as databases of local and international HIV/AIDS-related events and conferences, news, materials, organizations, and funding opportunities. “The Oromia ARC is an exciting extension of our hub operations in Addis,” said Ato Gashaw Mengistu , Coordinator of the national ARC. “It allows researchers, policymakers, health providers, media professionals and the general public in that region to access valuable information and resources related to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases like tuberculosis.” The national ARC is a central library and clearinghouse for the most up-to-date and accurate local and international multimedia materials on HIV/AIDS, STDs and TB. These resources provide a broad range of crucial information to health, policy, and media professionals, and the general public. For more information visit the national ARC's website at www.etharc.org . HAPCO was established in 2000 to coordinate and direct the implementation of the country's HIV/AIDS policy. In partnership with all stakeholders, HAPCO designed Ethiopia 's five-year strategic plan to combat the epidemic, and administers government grants for HIV/AIDS programs and research. The President's Emergency Plan is a five-year, $15-billion U.S. government initiative to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. A significant amount of these resources are focused on 15 of the most afflicted countries in the world, including Ethiopia . In these 15 nations, Emergency Plan goals include supporting treatment for two million HIV-infected people, preventing seven million new infections, and supporting care for 10 million HIV-infected individuals and AIDS orphans. With representatives in more than 30 countries, John s Hopkins' CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, evidence-based communication programs for behavior change and health promotion that have helped transform the theory and practice of public health communication. For more information on CCP, visit www.jhuccp.org . CONTACT: |
|
|
© 2005 The Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.