Overview
Advisory groups are organized by sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, HIV-positive experience, and mode of exposure to advance health equity responses.
Members of the OHA advisory groups play an important role toward achieving the goals and objectives prioritized in service planning documents. Individuals serving as advisory group members are expected to:
- Provide input and feedback on activities identified in service planning documents that the OHA should initiate, continue, expand, adjust, or discontinue.
- Examine data to identify populations at risk for HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and tuberculosis and those who experience the greatest health inequities in these diseases.
- Share perspectives on trends, social determinants of health, and other contributing factors related to infectious disease prevention, care, and treatment services.
Integrated services committees
Massachusetts Integrated Prevention and Care Committee (MIPCC) is an integrated prevention and care advisory group whose goal is to advise OHA on the development and implementation of statewide HIV system planning.
The Suffolk County Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Steering Committee advises OHA on the EHE Plan for Suffolk County and provides recommendations in all phases of its implementation.
Population health advisory groups
The Behavioral Health Advisory Group includes members with formal preparation, training and/or licensure, and experience providing behavioral health services and/or clinical supervision. This advisory group consults on topics, including the integration of behavioral health responses into infectious disease prevention and care programs, makes recommendations for workforce development, retention, and support strategies, and provides guidance to improve public health responses to psychosocially vulnerable client populations (such as individuals who are experiencing homelessness, people who inject drugs, recent arrivals, long-term survivors, and those at risk for overdose etc.).
The Black Advisory Group provides specific input about ways to improve health outcomes, reduce new HIV infections, and address health inequities among Black individuals. This advisory group examines data to identify assets and challenges experienced by Black residents, inclusive of African-American individuals as well as Black persons who are non-US born or with recent ancestry in a non-US born country.
The Gay Men’s Advisory Group provides specific input about ways to improve health outcomes, reduce new infections, and address health disparities among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex men (MSM). The advisory group identifies assets and challenges experienced by gay, bisexual, and other MSM and the ways in which those factors impact risk and resilience relative to HIV infection and health outcomes along the HIV care continuum.
The Healthy Aging Advisory Group identifies the needs of individuals living with HIV and communities that share many of the same health concerns as the general population aged 60 and older: multiple chronic conditions, the use of multiple medications, changes in physical and cognitive abilities, and impact of life stressors (such as isolation). This advisory group provides specific input about ways to improve health outcomes and address health promotion among individuals living with HIV aged 60 and older, including those living for many years with HIV (long-term survivors) and others more recently diagnosed.
The Latinx Advisory Group provides specific input about ways to improve health outcomes, reduce new HIV infections, and address health inequities among Spanish-speaking individuals and communities. The advisory group identifies assets and challenges experienced by these residents, and the ways those factors impact risks and resilience relative to HIV infection and health outcomes along the HIV care continuum.
The Statewide Consumer Advisory Group (SWCAG) is a designated group for individuals living with HIV. Members identify service delivery needs, strategies to reduce HIV-related stigma, and improve HIV care continuum outcomes. As the group is charged with representing the needs of people living with HIV, it is expected that members will openly identify as HIV-positive in meetings and in community contexts and venues when representing the SWCAG (such as presentations, local community convenings, etc.).
The Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Expansive Advisory Group provides specific input on ways to improve health outcomes, reduce new HIV infections, and address health disparities among transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive people and communities. This advisory group examines data to identify assets and challenges experienced by these individuals and communities, the ways those factors impact risk and resilience relative to HIV infection, and health outcomes along the HIV care continuum.
The Women’s Advisory Group provides specific input about the ways to improve health outcomes, reduce new HIV infections, and address health disparities among individuals who identify as women. This advisory group will examine data to identify assets and challenges experienced by individuals who identify as women and the ways those factors impact risk and resilience relative to HIV infection and health outcomes along the HIV care continuum.
Apply to be an advisory group member
Membership is open to:
- Community members and advocates
- Individuals living with HIV, hepatitis C (HCV) and/or at-risk individuals
- Community health workers and clinicians
- Providers dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities
All ten advisory groups are open for application on a rolling basis. Thinking of applying and not sure? If you are interested in applying and excited about the role but are unsure whether you meet the qualifications, we encourage you to apply anyway. To apply, fill out the application form in full and email to DPH-BIDLS-OHACommunityEngagement@mass.gov
Contact
Office of HIV/AIDS Community Engagement
DPH-BIDLS-OHACommunityEngagement@mass.gov