Military – Civilian PEPFAR Programs

Across our areas of operation in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, MHRP personnel and programs engage and work with local partners to implement HIV prevention, care, and treatment services. These efforts are part of an integrated approach of all MHRP research programs and also fall under the U.S. Department of Defense’s Directive (6485.02E, section 3.4) to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS primarily through development of a vaccine. Providing a credible prevention program and general HIV medical care for the entire community, not just the vaccine participants, is necessary to support the vaccine research effort. In such resource-poor settings, ensuring medical benefits are available to all in the community helps avoid any potential coercion of research volunteers. 

MHRP staff and program personnel are embedded within host country Ministry of Health (MOH) and/or local parastatal facilities and institutions. In the early days of program execution, MHRP used its existing research infrastructure and capacity as well as relationships with local organizations as a platform upon which to build a care and treatment program.

Clinical partners in country consist of various hospitals and health centers (MOH or private), which execute services from clinical prevention interventions (such as prevention of mother-to-child transmission) to management of opportunistic infections and provision of care and full antiretroviral treatment. Likewise, community partners consisting of various non-governmental organizations (NGO), community-based organizations (CBO), and faith-based organizations (FBO) execute and implement prevention and outreach activities, including home-based care and support to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). 

Read the Winter 2013 Issue (PDF)