America Living With AIDS

CUMULATIVE
RECOMMENDATIONS
PREVENTION AND EDUCATION
1. The federal government should establish a comprehensive national HIV prevention initiative.
This initiative should be authorized by Congress and developed by the Department of Health and Human Services. It should provide flexible resources to state
and local government and other public or private nonprofit entities for communitywide HIV prevention efforts. It must also include input from individuals
who have expertise through experience, education, or training. The prevention
initiative is an essential component of a national HIV plan.
2. Greater priority and funding should be given to behavioral, social science, and
health services research.
Behavioral, social science, and health services research are currently grossly
underfunded. The Commission believes there must be a more appropriate balance of funding between these areas of study and biomedical research.
3. Congress should remove the government restrictions that have been imposed on
the use of funds for certain kinds of HIV education, services, and research.
Government restrictions on certain HIV programs and on behavior-oriented
research studies impede the fight against HIV disease. HIV prevention programs
and research into sexual and drug using behaviors must be conducted and evaluated. Results from these and other health promotion and disease prevention
efforts must be shared and rapidly incorporated into HIV prevention and education strategies.
4. The U.S. Public Health Service should expand and promote comprehensive programs for technical assistance and capacity building for effective long-term prevention efforts.
5. Federal, state, and local governments should join forces with the private sector
in providing long-term support to community-based organizations.
Community-based efforts are now and will continue to be an integral part of any
HIV prevention strategy. The role of people with HIV disease must be recognized,

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