National Coalition of STD Directors

From 2003–2005, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), and the Society of State Directors of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (SSDHPER) coordinated Regional Stakeholders Meetings for 24 state teams to strengthen collaboration between state departments of education and health. The goal of these meetings was to encourage interagency efforts to support and improve HIV, STD, unintended and teen pregnancy prevention in schools.

This report shares the lessons learned by several state teams that participated in the Regional Stakeholders Meetings. While it often takes years to see outcomes from public health efforts, the experience and process of these participants offers valuable information for others in the field. Background The Regional Stakeholders Meeting (RSM) is a capacity-building process that brings state departments of education and health together to strengthen collaboration to support and improve HIV, STD, unintended and teen pregnancy prevention in schools. The Regional Stakeholders Collaborative — consisting of representatives from AMCHP, NASTAD, NCSD and SSDHPER — designed the RSMs to promote collaboration between state agencies. The ultimate, long-term goal of these meetings is to integrate HIV, STD, unintended and teen pregnancy prevention programs and instruction in schools. However, it is important to note that integration means different things to different people and different fields. The Regional Stakeholders Collaborative (RSC) defines integration as those activities that bridge gaps across disciplines and promote consistent messages, resulting in stronger health policies and programs to advance the health and well being of youth. The 24 states that have participated in the RSM process are: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington.

RSM Process

The RSM is a two-day meeting of state teams of health and education agency staff working on HIV, STD, unintended and teen pregnancy prevention programs in schools and allows them to:

• Articulate a shared vision for HIV, STD and pregnancy prevention programs in schools;
• Describe the assets of each program within their state;
• Identify challenges associated with achieving the shared vision; and
• Name collaborative strategies for overcoming these challenges. State teams vary based on state need and structure, but team representatives often include:
• State HIV and/or health education directors in education agencies;
• State HIV/AIDS directors in health agencies;
• State STD directors in health agencies;
• State adolescent health coordinators in health agencies; and

State abstinence education coordinators in health agencies. As the final step in the two-day process, teams create statespecific action plans for enhancing collaboration among their programs.

Technical assistance is provided during and after the meetings and is tailored to each team using the resources and expertise of the Regional Stakeholders Collaborative (RSC). Six to eight weeks after the meeting, the individual teams hold conference calls to discuss progress on the action plan and assess technical assistance needs. From the calls, the RSC identifies common needs and develops conference calls to address those issues. Those calls usually take place three to six months after the meeting, and provide dialogue around challenges and solutions, as well as access to technical experts. Also during this time period, the RSC provides information and facilitation to state teams, offers small grants for additional technical assistance, and guides teams in developing longer-term outcome or impact evaluation plans. The RSC partners also help to maintain communication among team members. A listserv helps to facilitate the ongoing exchange of information and feedback. Participants are asked to complete written evaluations of RSM content and team progress, and project-relevant materials and resources are posted to the RSC websites.

Outcomes

RSMs help to strengthen communication and collaboration between state departments of education and health. The teams develop a unified vision among state agencies working to improve the health of adolescents and create state action plans to work towards that vision. The state teams report numerous positive outcomes from the meetings, including better interagency communication, increased parent and community support for youth access, and greater data-sharing among agencies.

Lessons Learned: Definition

"Lessons learned" are experiences that are captured and shared to promote effective work and avoid repeating problems.