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Strategic Partners

The Regional Knowledge Hub works closely with many global and regional strategic partners, who help to precipitate change by providing funding, support, and resources.

 

Global strategic partners include

Regional strategic partners include

Global Strategic Partners

 

AIDS Foundation East West (AFEW)

The mission of AFEW—an international, non-governmental, humanitarian, public health organisation—is to help reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in Eurasia through six program streams:

  • harm-reduction training;
  • HIV testing and counseling;
  • prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV;
  • HIV prevention education aimed at sex workers;
  • HIV prevention and health promotion in prisons; and
  • safe sex and PLWHA media campaigns.

AFEW is contributing to the development of the Knowledge Hub's training curricula for non-medical personnel involved in HIV/AIDS-related care. AFEW is also providing faculty for workshops and educational seminars geared toward building a social support and advocacy network for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

 

AIDS Healthcare Foundation - Global Immunity (AHF-GI)

As the largest provider of specialized HIV/AIDS care in the United States, AHF's mission is to make cutting-edge medicine and advocacy available to all, regardless of a patient's ability to pay. AHF-GI extends this mission beyond US borders by offering targeted training and support in resource-constrained settings around the world.

AHF-GI is working with the Hub to adapt internationally accepted clinical protocols for use in health systems throughout Eurasia. They are supplying the faculty for theoretical and hands-on trainings geared toward healthcare professionals and lay counselors, as well as nurturing the development of NGOs and other groups that provide social support services for PLWHA. Making HIV/AIDS treatment a priority on the public and political agenda is another key element of AHF-GI's Hub-related efforts.

 

Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC)

ANAC is a nonprofit nursing organization that fosters the professional development of nurses involved in HIV/AIDS-related care and promotes the health, welfare, and rights of PLWHA. ANAC members exchange information, experiences, and ideas that lead to improvements in quality of care and provide leadership to the nursing community in matters related to HIV/AIDS.

ANAC is working with the Hub to strengthen the role nurses play in caring for Eurasian PLWHA by providing faculty and technical assistance for training programs and professional development courses targeting mid-level healthcare professionals.

 

Connect plus e.V. - Competence Transfer for AIDS Prevention and Self-help

Based in Augsburg, Germany, Connect plus was created to share the knowledge and experience of those working in HIV/AIDS treatment, support, and self-help in Germany with related medical and psychosocial care projects in Eastern Europe.

Connect plus is working with the Knowledge Hub to help create self-help initiatives for PLWHA, design prevention programs that target specific high-risk groups, and raise public and political awareness about HIV/AIDS, by developing didactic materials and providing technical support. Encouraging those who provide HIV/AIDS care to develop a strong, multifaceted network of social support throughout the region is another way Connect plus is collaborating with the Hub.

 

International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC)

The mission of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) is to craft and implement global educational and advocacy strategies to improve the quality of care provided to all people living with HIV/AIDS. Established in 1995 by healthcare professionals and civic leaders who recognized an urgent need for a coordinated medical response to the AIDS pandemic, IAPAC currently represents 12,000-plus professional members from more than 100 countries.

IAPAC has given the Knowledge Hub permission to translate its Global AIDS Learning and Evaluation Network (GALEN) series of medical training modules for the care and treatment of HIV into Russian and to post this and the English version of the modules on the Knowledge Hub Website.

GALEN's comprehensive curriculum in HIV clinical management—comprised of 15 modules ranging from Pathogenesis of HIV Infection and Ethical Considerations in HIV Management to Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource-Limited Settings and Palliative Care in HIV Management—provides physicians in developing countries access to relevant and current information on HIV/AIDS treatment practices.

GALEN also grants certificates of completion to locally licensed physicians with two years' HIV-treatment experience who demonstrate mastery of the topics covered in the curriculum. More information about this program can be found on their Web site.

 

International HIV/AIDS Alliance

The International HIV/AIDS Alliance is a consortium of international donor organizations created to support communities in developing countries play a broad and effective role in the global response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In Ukraine, the Alliance is currently the sole administrator of Global Fund grants for programs targeting PLWHA care and support, risk reduction, treatment and prevention for high-risk populations, and monitoring and evaluation.

In their collaboration with the Knowledge Hub, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance is providing training materials and technical support to clinicians and non-medical professionals who work with PLWHA.

 

International Training & Education Center on HIV (I-TECH)

I-TECH was established by the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support the ongoing development of training systems for healthcare professionals that are locally determined, optimally resourced, highly responsive, and self-sustaining in countries and regions hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic.

I-TECH is collaborating with the Knowledge Hub to develop didactic materials related to the clinical care and treatment of PLWHA and to provide technical support to health-related professionals throughout the region.

 

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

An international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance in more than 80 countries around the globe, MSF seeks to alleviate human suffering and protect life and health, as well as to ensure respect for all human beings and their fundamental human rights.

MSF is working with the Knowledge Hub to improve the quality and availability of clinical services and psychological support for HIV-infected individuals in Ukraine and other nations throughout the region. A specific focus of MSF's collaboration with the Hub is increasing the number of PLWHA who have access to antiretroviral therapy and other medications. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Regional Knowledge Hub and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Ukraine was signed in December 2004.

 

Medical Advocates for Social Justice (MASJ)

Medical Advocates for Social Justice (MASJ) is a professional association of physicians, other healthcare professionals, and AIDS service organizations who advocate for timely and appropriate healthcare access and education for all who have, or are at risk of, life-threatening infectious disease and who are disenfranchised from access to such care and education.

MASJ is providing the Knowledge Hub with recommendations for Russian-language translations of peer-reviewed professional journal abstracts and papers, medical conference reports, and books on the care and treatment of PLWHA and those at risk of contracting the disease.

 

The Open Society Institute (OSI) - International Palliative Care Initiative

The OSI Palliative Care Initiative is part of the Soros Foundation's effort to improve public health in Eurasia and other regions of the world. Working with national and regional donors to support the development of palliative care in Ukraine, this Initiative focuses on creating community-based home care programs and educating community care-givers and healthcare professionals, as well as improving access to medications for pain and symptom management.

OSI and the Knowledge Hub are developing training materials related to palliative care; OSI is also providing technical support related to pain management and PLWHA quality-of-life.

 

United Nations Children’s Fund Office in Ukraine

UNICEF/Ukraine works to protect and support the health of children and youth through a variety of programs. Whether encouraging immunization or supporting life skills education, UNICEF aims to ensure the rights of children and youth to services and information that enable appropriate, healthy life choices. Recognizing the impact that HIV/AIDS has on children, UNICEF works closely with United Nations agencies, government partners, and civil society to arrest the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine. UNICEF’s work in this area includes prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and programs in schools to reduce the risk of children and young people to HIV infection. Improvement of care and support services for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS is also a UNICEF/Ukraine program priority.
UNICEF/Ukraine is working with the Knowledge Hub to build human capacity to provide quality antiretroviral therapy to children with HIV/AIDS. UNICEF and the Knowledge Hub train and develop multidisciplinary pediatric care teams – each consisting of a pediatrician, a pediatric nurse, and a social worker, psychologist, or NGO representative – to provide this care.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the Regional Knowledge Hub and United Nations Children’s Fund Office in Ukraine was signed in April 2005.

Regional Strategic Partners—Ukraine

 

NMAPE (P.L.Shupyk National Medical Academy of Post-Graduate Education)

The mission of the National Medical Academy of Post-Graduate Education (NMAPE) is the training and advanced training of physicians and pharmacists. Established in 1918 as the Clinical Institute for Advanced Training of Physicians, NMAPE currently has a staff that includes 146 professors and doctors of medical science. The clinical base is comprised of approximately 7,000 beds located in different hospitals throughout Kiev.

In addition to hosting the Knowledge Hub offices, NMAPE is providing modern, fully-equipped classrooms for didactic training sessions on HIV/AIDS care and treatment.

NMAPE—together with another strategic partner, the Ukrainian National AIDS Center—will work with the Knowledge Hub to develop a set of training courses covering various aspects of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. They will work closely with the Knowledge Hub to coordinate all HIV/AIDS related training activities needed to create a cadre of knowledgeable and skilled health professionals who will work in close collaboration with community-based organizations dedicated to providing care to and social support for HIV-positive individuals in the region.

 

Ukrainian AIDS Prevention Centre

The Ukrainian AIDS Prevention Centre coordinates the activities of all the Oblast AIDS Prevention Centres, develops HIV/AIDS guidelines and protocols for the Centres, and conducts epidemiological surveillance. Established in 1989, the Centre currently employs 27 staff members; its clinical base includes 20 beds based at the Lavra AIDS Clinic at the Gromashevsky Research Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases in Kiev.

The Centre will solicit input related to Knowledge Hub training modules from oblast centres and work with the Hub on their development. The Centre will also provide faculty to teach the didactic and hands-on training sessions, as well as participate in a variety of other Knowledge Hub-related activities.

 

Lavra AIDS Clinic at the Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases

Lavra AIDS Clinic opened at Kiev's Gromashevsky Research Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases in 1987. The clinic has 20 beds and provides clinical services for patients with HIV/AIDS, including diagnosis, counseling, treatment, and care. Lavra AIDS Clinic is recognized regionally for its clinical excellence in provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to adult patients. It serves as the Knowledge Hub affiliate training site for trainings in adult ART (covering initiation of ART, advanced ART, and management of opportunistic infection). In addition to its clinical facilities, Lavra AIDS Clinic has a large classroom which can accommodate up to 30 participants and small classrooms and offices to accommodate breakout sessions.

 

Kiev City AIDS Center

The Kiev City AIDS Centre was established in 1999 under the auspices of Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 5. There are currently 137 staff members at the Centre, including 30 physicians and 54 nurses working in three HIV counseling and testing offices (including one mobile unit); an outpatient clinic that accommodates 10,500 visits per year; a 25-bed inpatient facility for HIV/AIDS patients; a 50-bed viral hepatitis facility for drug users; and a clinical diagnostics laboratory, as well departments for epidemic monitoring, internal regulation, protocol development, and creation of prevention programs. The Centre also operates a crisis consulting hot line.

Medical professionals enrolled in Knowledge Hub courses will receive hands-on training at the Kiev City AIDS Centre.

 

All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS

The Network’s mission is to improve the life of HIV-positive people by working toward the integration of all efforts to provide care and support—including clinical care, psycho-social counseling, peer counseling, legal assistance, and advocacy for access to ART and diagnostics—to PLWHA in Ukraine. Some of the Network’s main activities are representing the interest of PLWHA at all levels of governmental policymaking and civil life, lobbying local and national legislative and judicial bodies to improve the legal framework of support for PLWHA, working with the mass media to develop policies that encourage accurate, timely coverage of HIV/AIDS-related issues in an effort to eliminate the stigma and discrimination , developing and supporting peer groups and self-help groups for PLWHA in Ukraine, creating brochures and other public outreach materials that discuss HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment options, and providing home-based care to PLWHA. The Network links the Knowledge Hub to the community of people living with HIV/AIDS in order to insure that needed services are provided and that effective coordination occurs among governmental, health care and non-governmental sector. Network members serve as members of the multinational, multidisciplinary faculty that presides over most of the Knowledge Hub trainings - focusing especially on components related psycho-social issues, peer assistance and education, and home support.