This plenary session will feature community and organizational representatives from diverse communities throughout the U.S. working with communities to address the social determinants of HIV, HCV, STIs, opioid use, and now COVID-19 through a health equity and social justice lens. A dynamic panel of speakers will discuss their approaches to establishing equitable partnerships with underserved populations within their communities, most notably racial and ethnic groups and sexual and gender minorities, to create and implement dynamic interventions and initiatives geared to improving health outcomes at the community and individual levels. Speakers will share how they engage stakeholders and promote these initiatives within their communities, as well as evaluate their impact, using information gleaned from assessments to address gaps in services and identify directions for future efforts. The session will conclude with a panel discussion during which speakers will sync intersections in their unique approaches to improving community-based health, emphasizing those that are transportable and replicable within other communities.

Learning objectives for this session are:

• Detail how research and community-based organizations build relationships with communities to create innovative initiatives to address the social determinants of HIV, HCV, STIs, opioid use, and COVID-19;
• Describe how research and community-based organizations work with local communities and other stakeholders to develop and implement interventions and initiatives grounded in health equity and social justice addressing HIV, HCV, STIs, opioid use, and COVID-19;
• Determine how research and community-based organizations use data to assess intervention and initiative impact and address gaps in delivery; and
• Describe intersections among community-based interventions and initiatives, noting the replicable and transportable approaches that can improve health outcomes at the community and individual levels, most notably racial and ethnic groups and sexual and gender minorities.

Credits

• AMA: 1.5
• ANCC: 1.5
• CEUs: 0.15/1.5
• AAPA: 1.5
• ASWB: 1.5
• CHES/MCHES: 1.5