The American Social Health Association (ASHA) today applauded and endorsed the President’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and called for expanded training of healthcare providers as an essential element of efforts to achieve the laudable goals of this important effort.

More than 1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, and as many as 1 in 5 are estimated to be undiagnosed. AIDS and public health advocates have long sought a comprehensive, national HIV strategy that pulls together resources from multiple government agencies, including backing from the White House.

"The National AIDS Strategy is a huge step forward for HIV prevention," said Bradley P. Stoner, MD, Board Chair of ASHA. "To succeed, it’s essential to address sexual health openly and clearly, something that many health care providers and their patients find awkward to talk about."

"Currently, health care providers receive little training to help them assess risk for, and address HIV and other STDs," Stoner said. "In order to reach the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, providers taking care of persons with, or at risk of HIV infection need up-to-date training to turn the President’s vision into a reality on the ground."

"To make the plan work," added Katherine Hsu, MD, MPH and Patricia Coury-Doniger, FNPC, co-chairs of the National Network of STD/HIV Prevention Training Centers (NNPTC), “we need to make sure that all healthcare professionals are trained to talk comfortably with their patients, screen them for HIV and other STDs, and treat them correctly."

Stoner also said that he hoped that the plan, together with the administration’s healthcare reform bill, would provide the funding needed to support training of medical and nursing students and for professionals already working in the field.

Read more about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy on the website of the Office of National AIDS Policy.