Bridges to Healthy Communities 2005 Bridges to Healthy Communities 2005 is AACC’s second five-year cooperative agreement with the Division of Adolescent and School Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the provisions of Announcement 00081, "Cooperative Agreements for National Organizations to Enable Postsecondary Institutions to Prevent HIV Infection and other Important Health Problems Among Youth,” which was instituted in 2000. The Bridges project was funded from 1995-2000 under announcement 532, "Cooperative Agreements for a National System of Integrated Activities to Prevent HIV Infection and Serious Health Problems Among Students, Especially Postsecondary Students.” What's New: -- FIVE AACC MEMBER COLLEGES RECEIVE BRIDGES TO HEATHY COMMUNITIES FUNDING for 2004-05. Through a national competition, AACC awarded each of the five colleges a ten-month, $3,000 Bridges grant. Projects will focus on collaborative partnerships with community agencies and engage students in service learning activities that promote HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. The awardees are College of DuPage (IL), Danville Area Community College (IL), Owens Community College (OH), Rose State College (OK), and San Antonio College (TX). The Bridges project is supported by the Division of Adolescent and School Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. -- Check out the YOUth & AIDS Web Project at University College, the University of Cincinnati at http://oz.uc.edu/~alexanj/What.html Students at the University of Cincinnati are largely responsible for designing, contributing to, and updating this site. Many participate in direct service-learning projects, helping local Cincy agencies educate our community about HIV & AIDS. Reports: -- HIV Prevention Strategies: Planning for Success - This book describes an environmental approach to HIV prevention and health, provides examples from a variety of campuses, and lists resources for both information and possible collaborative work. Includes campus assessment and action plan worksheets and contact information for many national higher education and health organizations. -- HIV Prevention Strategies for Community Colleges - The Bridges colleges conducted an array of HIV prevention activities to promote individual and systemic change. The core strategy for these changes included building strong connections between service learning and HIV prevention. -- National Study on Community College Health - In 1996 and 2000, AACC conducted national surveys concerning administration and leadership, curricular and co-curricular programs, health services, and community collaboration. Results of the first survey are described in a 1998 publication, Community Colleges Tackle Student Health and HIV/AIDS. -- Healthy Campuses Technical Assistance Network - helps community colleges, historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions expand student knowledge and faculty ability to address sexual behaviors that result in HIV infection, other STDs, and unintended pregnancy. Our Goal Bridges to Healthy Communities 2005 is building a community college infrastructure that supports education and information programs to prevent HIV infection and other serious health problems in students and youth. Our Approach Research suggests that information alone is not sufficient to create behavioral changes that prevent HIV infection. Effective HIV prevention embeds HIV/AIDS information in a variety of contexts, uses culturally relevant and language-appropriate interventions, and is highly interactive, utilizing discussions and building skills. Campuses focusing on HIV prevention and health promotion and wellness are urged to assess their campuses using the indicators of success developed by the American Association of Community Colleges, the American College Health Association, and Bacchus and Gamma Peer Education Network. That assessment includes the following: campus environment and policy, health messages, professional development, student leadership, prevention programs, priority populations, health services, and collaboration. The Bridges project is helping community colleges improve student and community health through models of integrated activities that bring together campus and community. They involve individuals, families, schools, and communities. Service learning is the primary strategy and is supplemented by a variety of specific strategies left to the creativity and imagination of the colleges. These include: - Health-related college policies (e.g., alcohol use, STI testing)
- Curricular infusion
- Peer education
- Staff development
- Information distribution during registration, advising, and counseling
- Co-curricular activities such as special events led by health professionals
- Information dissemination, including print and electronic media
- Collaboration with community organizations and public health agencies
The "personality" and resources of participating colleges are helping to mold their approaches for integrating activities. The result by the end of the five-year project will be a rich array of approaches geared to the needs of individual colleges. For further information, please contact Quintin Doromal, Manager, Health & Wellness, at 202/728-0200 ext. 267 or qdoromal@aacc.nche.edu. The mailing address is One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20036.
HIV/AIDS Content Notice
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