Video: Watch the Stop HIV Iowa Opening Plenary

Why the Time is Now: Stopping HIV Iowa by 2030

On January 27, 2022, the Bureau of HIV, STD, and Hepatitis launched the Stop HIV Iowa strategic planning process with a state-wide kick-off meeting.

The kick-off event was opened with a plenary presentation by Randy Mayer, Chief of the Bureau of HIV, STD, and Hepatitis. In case you missed it, we’re very excited to make his plenary speech available for viewing!

Opening Plenary Overview

Mayer welcomed participants by discussing national efforts to eliminate HIV and highlighting successes, opportunities, and challenges in our state.

Some of Iowa's strongest indicators of success, include:

• 30% decrease in new HIV diagnoses from 2016 to 2020,

• Sustained reduction in Iowans diagnosed late with HIV

• Ranked second in the nation in viral suppression among people living with HIV (PLWH) with a rate of 79%

Additional assets that will help us in our work toward stopping HIV in Iowa include high pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) coverage, availability of services and technology, high linkage-to-care rates, and Iowa’s strong Ryan White program.

Still, challenges remain in our efforts to stop HIV in Iowa. These include:

• The relatively high number of PLWH who are unaware that they have HIV

• Population distribution across the state, which makes service implementation challenging

• Increasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) such as Gonorrhea and Syphillis

• Health disparities among disproportionately impacted populations.

Mayer then introduced the strategic planning framework we will use to develop a plan to stop HIV in Iowa.

Nine focus areas have been identified as pivotal to ending the HIV epidemic in Iowa. They include:

• Primary Prevention and Diagnosing PLWH

• Medical Care and Support Services for PLWH

• Addressing Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

• Viral Hepatitis

• Workforce

• Health Equity

• Social Determinants of Health

• Behavioral Health

• Stigma

Each focus area is led by a team of three co-chairs: one from IDPH, one from a local health agency, and one from the community. Together, the co-chairs are a diverse group. What they have in common is the expertise they bring in their respective focus areas.

Visit the focus area web pages for more details about each area’s outreach plans and specific opportunities to get involved.

Currently, the focus area co-chairs are preparing community feedback opportunities, which will inform the creation of the Stop HIV Iowa strategic plan. Co-chairs will gather information through focus groups, forums, surveys, and key informant interviews.

These efforts will conclude by the end of June 2022. At this point, the co-chairs will use the information they collected through community engagement to construct the objectives and strategies of the strategic plan, supporting the overarching goals.

A draft of the plan will be made available on this website for public comment in October 2022, and the final version will be published in December 2022.