About the AETC Network
The AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC) Program of the Ryan White CARE Act currently supports a network of 11 regional centers (and more than 130 local performance sites) that conduct targeted, multi-disciplinary education and training programs for healthcare providers treating persons with HIV/AIDS. The AETCs serve all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the six U.S.-affiliated Pacific Jurisdictions. The mission of the AETCs is to improve the quality of life of patients living with HIV/AIDS through the provision of high quality professional education and training. The AETC Program is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HIV/AIDS Bureau.
For more information on HRSA, please visit HRSA's Web site. Included on the site is the Progress Report on the Ryan White CARE Act Accomplishments, 2004-2005.
Training
Training is targeted to providers who serve minority populations, the homeless, rural communities, incarcerated persons, community and migrant health centers, and Ryan White CARE Act-funded sites. AETCs focus on training a diverse group of clinicians including physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, nurses, oral health professionals, and pharmacists. Training activities are based upon assessed local needs. Emphasis is placed on interactive, hands-on training and clinical consultation to assist providers with complex issues related to the management of highly active antiretroviral therapy. AETCs collaborate with CARE Act-funded organizations, area health education centers, community-based HIV/AIDS organizations, and medical and health professional organizations. Since 1991, the AETC program has sponsored more than 700,000 training interactions for providers. Clinicians trained by AETCs have been shown to be more competent with regard to HIV issues and more willing to treat persons living with HIV than other primary care providers.
NMAETC's National Role of Support and Leadership
The role of NMAETC is to provide leadership and support in building capacity for HIV care and to provide training tailored to minority health care professionals, health care professionals serving communities of color, and minority serving health professional training institutions, colleges and universities. NMAETC also provides a mechanism for disseminating best practices and tools relative to HIV/AIDS clinical care, cultural competency/fluency and infrastructure management.
NMAETC is mandated to provide support and training opportunities across the network of regional AETCs and assist them in delivering education and training to the HIV healthcare network nationwide. Along with all of the National Centers that support the AETCs such as the National Resource Center (NRC), National Evaluation Center (NEC) and National HIV/AIDS Clinicians’ Consultation Center (NCCC), our goal is to function in both a leadership and a collaborative role in promoting capacity building for minority health care providers and community based organizations (CBOs) that serve predominantly minority populations.
NMAETC will also assist in the analysis and reporting of MAI-related data across the AETC Program network.
This comprehensive network is administered by the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA), HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) (grant #H4AHA00066).
To contact any of the AETC regional sites, please access the AETC National Resource Center (NRC) website: www.aidsetc.org.