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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Kubataev, Arsen
Regional Director
AIHA Russia
Tel. (7-495) 250-3072
a.kubataev@aiha.ru

Kenslea, Ged
Communications Director
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Tel. 323.860.5225
gedk@aidshealth.org

USAID-supported Public-Private Alliance Builds on Work of AIHA Partnerships in Russia, Taps into AHF’s Network of Clinical and Service Delivery Experts

WASHINGTON, DC, and LOS ANGELES, May 24, 2007 — A joint project of the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) and AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is helping develop replicable, integrated models of HIV/AIDS treatment and care through pilot projects in the Saratov Oblast cities of Saratov and Engels, and in the city of Togliatti in Samara Oblast. The project is being implemented in close coordination with the Saratov Oblast Ministry of Health and Togiatti City Administration.

Supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Global Development Alliance Initiative, the Volga River Alliance is a public-private capacity building project that links AIHA and AHF with regional governments in Russia’s Samara and Saratov oblasts. With the overarching goal of strengthening local capacity to provide HIV-related treatment at the primary care level, the Volga River Alliance is supporting Saratov and Togliatti as they work to scale up HIV and AIDS-related treatment and care by initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 1,500 individuals living with HIV by the end of 2007.

Thanks to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, both oblasts are receiving more reliable supplies of antiretroviral (ARV) medications, which necessitates the rapid training and development of healthcare providers and allied professionals capable of providing treatment, care, and support services to people living with HIV (PLWH)—including the management of often complex ARV regimens. Under the project, trainings target HIV/AIDS care teams from local AIDS Centers, as well as infectious disease specialists and other clinical experts from medical institutions that provide care to PLWH.

The Volga River Alliance builds on the many accomplishments of AIHA’s USAID-funded Saratov/Bemidji (Minnesota) and Togliatti/Providence (Rhode Island) partnerships, which were established in 2004 to create model HIV and AIDS care, treatment, and support programs that could be replicated throughout the Russian Federation. As implementing partner under the project, AIHA leads the training and monitoring and evaluation components, while AHF provides expertise in clinic operations and management, as well as professional mentors and faculty and substantial amounts of pharmaceuticals and supplies.

Training projects under the Volga River Alliance commenced in both Saratov Oblast and Togliatti in December 2006. Subsequent training and mentoring courses were conducted in March and April for clinicians from Togliatti and the cities of Balakovo, Engels, Komsomolsk, and Volsk in Saratov Oblast. Additional activities are planned for May and September of this year.

Created in 1992 by a consortium of major healthcare provider associations andprofessionalmedical education organizations, AIHA establishes and manages programs and twinning partnerships between health-related institutions in the United States and their counterparts in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, and the Caribbean.The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), funded by the American people, provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries to provide a better future for all.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest NGO provider of HIV/AIDS services in the United States, operates healthcare centers in Northern and Southern California and Jacksonville, Florida. AHF also runs an AIDS managed care program in California and a disease management program in Florida and it supports research and operates a network of thrift stores that provide revenue to support services. AHF's international ART programs have demonstrated outstanding clinical outcomes and achieved adherence rates in excess of 90 percent based on self-reporting patients followed for more than three years. These programs reach more than 42,000 patients in South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mexico, Guatemala, India, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

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