The Denver Sexually Transmitted Disease/Human Immunodeficiency Virus (STD/HIV) Prevention Training Center (PTC) Part I will provide clinical training for STD medical and laboratory services throughout Region VIII, including the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Established in 1979 as one of the first clinical training sites, the Denver PTC has a long history of translating state-of-the-art research findings into high-quality STD/HIV training programs targeting health professionals across the region. Uniquely positioned in Region VIII both physically and organizationally, the Denver PTC is just steps away from the Denver Metro Health Clinic (DMHC), the largest STD clinic in the region, and is headed by Comelis """"""""Kees"""""""" Rietmeijer, MD, Ph.D., Medical Director for both programs. Dr. Rietmeijer has, and will continue to have, authority over the Denver PTC Clinical Branch. The Denver PTC has both a strong partnership and a long working history with its academic partner, the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC), as well as with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Other key collaborators include the Denver PTCs Part II and III;Mountain Plains AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) and their state-based training centers;John Snow Inc. (JSI), the area's Regional Training Center (RTC), and their Title X sites;Indian Health Services (IHS); the Salt Lake Valley Health Department (SLVHD);the Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah Departments of Health;and Kaiser Permanente, the region's largest managed care provider. Over the 5 year grant cycle, the Denver PTC will conduct 100 courses with didactic content, 145 courses with experiential content and 100-150 educational programs, reaching a total of 2,700 providers. The short-term objectives of the program will be to increase provider knowledge, skills and proficiency in the diagnosis, treatment and management of STDs and HIV. The long-term goals will be to address the Healthy People 2010 focus areas of STD and HIV, which include increasing CT &GC screening, treatment and partner treatment; decreasing primary and secondary syphilis;decreasing congenital syphilis;decreasing the numbers of persons at high risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV infection;and increasing the proportion of HIV-infected people who know they are infected. Ongoing needs assessment and evaluation will be performed to provide continuous quality improvement during the grant cycle. Working with our academic partners at the Department of Health Behavioral Sciences (HBS) at UCDHSC, regular needs assessment and program outcome data will be collected, analyzed, and reviewed at frequent intervals to refine and improve the quality of course content, format, delivery and marketing.
