Miami Herald - July 5, 2000

The results and recommendations of the HIV/AIDS Crisis Response Team were announced this morning by Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas, U.S. Representative Carrie Meek and other community leaders.

"Too many people have been lost to this disease and too many families have been affected," Meek said in a statement. "We are now joining forces between the federal, state, and local government to provide the resources necessary to begin turning the tide, increasing community awareness, and stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS." Penelas, Meek, Nicole Lurie, principal deputy assistant secretary for health of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and Miami-Dade commissioners were among those at Mount Tabor Baptist Church in Liberty City today to make the announcement.

U.S Department of Health Secretary Donna Shalala announced on June 16 the creation of the special response team to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in minority communities.

The response teams use a research method called Rapid Assessment Response and Evaluation, or RARE. The Miami-Dade team was deployed in Little Haiti, East Little Havana, Liberty City, and the Edison Transitional community, all of which have high incidences of HIV and AIDS, according to Penelas' office.

Besides recommending expanding health screening services to include HIV and AIDS testing and expanding counseling and awareness, the team also recommended that mobile health vans be deployed more efficiently to reach the communities most impacted by the disease.

Penelas will recommend that an additional $150,000 be given to the Miami-Dade Health Department in his budget recommendations to improve health van deployment.

The response team also suggested adjusting the hours of health department staff, which will allow the staff to conduct outreach activities and screenings at the times of day when drugs and sex are being bought and sold, according to Penelas' office.

Another suggestion was to enhance the creative outreach and advertising campaigns in partnership with night clubs, bars, and adult entertainment establishments. The ad campaign would involve putting AIDS awareness messages and informational literature in places like restrooms and entrances of those businesses.

The response team also recommended expanding the RARE strategy beyond the four initial communities singled out for the original study.

The Florida Department of Health has given the Miami-Dade Department of Health an additional $50,000 to implement the recommendations of the Crisis Response Team.

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