About the Atlanta Prevention Research Community Coalition (APRCC)

History

• This coalition effort was formed by Hope Clinic community advisory board members in 2003 [1].
• A national survey was conducted by the National Institutes of Health around this time that resulted in subsequent funding for the NIH-sponsored Community Education & Outreach Partnership Project (CEOPP) and Local Partnership Program (LPP) initiatives for the development of local community engagement programs in cities where HIV vaccine research studies are taking place [2].
  • AID Atlanta and SisterLove, Inc. became CEOPP partners in this effort in 2003;
  • SisterLove, Inc. and National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities (NAESM) were added as local and national LPP partners in 2004 and 2006;
  • Our early efforts focused exclusively on HIV vaccine research; thus the name for the coalition originally was the Atlanta HIV Vaccine Research Community Coalition (AHVCC).

Development of a Mission Statement

The CEOPP/LPP programs suggested five objectives for HIV vaccine community engagement programs:

(1) Increase awareness of the urgent need for an HIV vaccine in communities most affected by HIV/AIDS and share of information with these communities about ongoing HIV vaccine research;

(2) Establish leadership and foster expansion of support for HIV vaccine research and clinical trials and among community opinion leaders and those eligible to participate in trials

(3) Empower persons to become credible HIV vaccine educators and to promote accurate messages about HIV vaccines and related clinical research

(4) Increase individual and organizational capacity to provide and to become primary sources of accurate and relevant information on HIV vaccine issues

(5) Increase public knowledge and understanding of scientific and social issues related to HIV vaccine research.

Using these points as guidance, we set out to determine what would be culturally relevant and sensitive to the needs of the Atlanta community. We examined the “Principles of Community Engagement” document prepared by a special task force from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and Academy for Educational Development (AED) to craft our own definition of the concept and to identify key principles [3]. As the research agenda diversified at the Hope Clinic, we changed the name to APRCC as it reflected the importance of community engagement in all forms of prevention research – including biomedical and behavioral studies.

A review of precedent models resulted in the development of the APRCC mission statement:

A culture-centered collaborative enterprise of interconnected partner organizations, representatives, and local communities, who work in a concerted manner to empower the voice of the community. Through consensus opinion, the APRCC offers multidirectional informational exchange and educational dialogue on health research. Its overarching purpose is to increase awareness of the cause of biomedical prevention research particularly as it relates to HIV/AIDS, promote the personal relevance of the effort, and, through active involvement in the community context, enhance public trust in the Emory Hope Clinic and affiliate entities and its research endeavors. 

Community Involvement

Over the years, the APRCC members sought the experience of community leadership and social networks in the design and implementation of the APRCC activities in community settings. The partnership network includes governmental agencies, academic institutions, faith-based organizations, advocacy groups, professional and social clubs, volunteer entities, service-providers and businesses, and AIDS service organizations. Through integrated programs, the APRCC promotes HIV prevention awareness, information dissemination processes, educational program development, and the assurance of equitable engagement of all individual and organizational participants.

We are proud of the programs that we have developed and implemented in Atlanta community settings including “Hope in Our Soul,” “Healing is Our Participatory Experience” (HOPE series), Indabas, and “Building HOPE: ‘Change Matters.’” We work in concert with other organizations and efforts underway in the community to support existing educational programs such as “AIDS 101” (AID Atlanta), conduct staff trainings at organizations throughout the region, and provide speakers and information at community events. In addition, we conduct important research in the community that helps us determine how to engage and retain priority groups in ongoing research and faciliate new prevention technology uptake in the future [4-9]. We have been able to achieve all of this through collaboration with other entities including:

Action Cycling Atlanta
AID Atlanta
AID Gwinnett
AIDS Alliance for Faith & Health
AIDS Survival Project
Americorps/Hands On Atlanta
Atlanta Executive Network (AEN)
Atlanta Black Nurses Association
Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC)
Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition
Atlanta Pride Committee
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)
Georgia Equality
Grady Infectious Disease Program (Ponce Clinic)
Hopewell Baptist Church
In the Life Atlanta (ITLA)
MixIt Marketing
Mt Vernon Baptist Church
National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities, Inc. (NAESM)
New Mercies Church
Outwrite Bookstore
Pets are Loving Support (PALS)
REACH for Wellness Coalition
SisterLove, Inc.
Someone Cares, Inc.
Stand, Inc. (formerly: Our Common Welfare)
Volunteer Emory

Contact Information:

References:

1. Frew, P.M., D.D. Diallo, D. Teague, B. Wexler, C. del Rio, and M. Mulligan, Synergy in Action: The Role of the Atlanta HIV Vaccine Community Collaborative (AHVCC) in HIV Vaccine Research, in HIV Prevention Leadership Summit (HPLS). 2008: Detroit, MI.
2. Allen, M., T. Liang, T. Salvia, B. Tjugum, R. Gulakowski, and M. Murguia, Assessing the attitudes, knowledge, and awareness of HIV vaccine research among adults in the United States. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 2005. 40(5): p. 617-624.
3. CDC/ATSDR, Principles of Community Engagement. 1st ed. 1997, Atlanta, GA: US Dept. Health and Human Services. 1-81.
4. Frew, P.M., ‘Real People, Real Progress’: Improving HIV vaccine awareness & knowledge through integrated community education. Health Education & Behavior, 2005. 32(1): p. 8-9.
5. Frew, P.M., R.A. Crosby, L.F. Salazar, L. Gallinot, L.O. Bryant, and D.R. Holtgrave, Acceptance of an HIV/AIDS vaccine among minority women. Journal of the National Medical Association, 2008. 100(7): p. 802-813.
6. Frew, P.M., C. del Rio, S. Clifton, M. Archibald, J. Hormes, and M.J. Mulligan, Factors influencing HIV vaccine community engagement in the urban South. Journal of Community Health, 2008. 33(4): p. 259-69.
7. Frew, P.M., M. Archibald, N. Martinez, C. del Rio, and M. Mulligan, Promoting HIV Vaccine Research in the African American Community: Does the Theory of Reasoned Action Explain Potential Outcomes of Involvement? Challenge: The Journal of the Morehouse Research Institute, 2008. 13(1): p. 61-97.
8. Salazar, L.F., D.R. Holtgrave, R.A. Crosby, J. Peterson, and P.M. Frew, Issues related to gay and bisexual men's acceptance of a future AIDS vaccine. International Journal of STDs & AIDS, 2005. 16: p. 546-548.
9. Crosby, R.A., D.R. Holtgrave, L. Bryant, and P.M. Frew, Factors associated with the acceptance of an AIDS vaccine: an exploratory study. Preventive Medicine, 2004. 39(4): p. 804-808.