SAN FRANCISCO EMA HIV COMMUNITY PLANNING COUNCIL

Shanti houses the federal contract to provide administrative, technical, and needs assessment support to the Council.

The San Francisco EMA HIV Community Planning Council is a collaborative regional planning body that consists of volunteers and government appointees from throughout San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties, including persons living with HIV, community members, and representatives of private and public agencies providing a wide range of HIV-related services and programs.

The San Francisco EMA HIV Community Planning Council was formed in 2016 through the merger of two previously separate regional HIV planning groups. One of these groups – the HIV Health Services Planning Council – had been devoted to assessing, planning, and allocating resources for HIV care services in the three counties. The other group – the HIV Prevention Planning Council – reviewed local HIV prevention needs and planned collaborative initiatives to reduce the number of new HIV infections in the three-county region. By combining these bodies, the new HIV Community Planning Council allows our region to examine HIV prevention and care through a unified lens, and to develop innovative, effective, and integrated responses to meet the shifting needs of the HIV epidemic.

Both the care and prevention functions of the San Francisco EMA HIV Community Planning Council are mandated by the federal government as a pre-condition for receiving key federal HIV funding. Care planning takes place through a partnership with the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) while prevention planning activities are conducted in partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each year, the HIV Community Planning Council allocates funding for over $17 million in local Ryan White-funded HIV care and service programs.

The San Francisco EMA HIV Community Planning Council meets on the fourth Monday of each month. Committees include Council Affairs, Membership, Community Engagement and Steering. Information for Planning Council and Committee Meetings can be found on the Council website. If you have any questions, or are interested in becoming a member, please contact one of our Council Support Staff and visit the Council website at www.sfhivplanningcouncil.org

How is the Council affiliated with Shanti?
The Council requires a fair amount of administrative support, so HRSA requires a separate contract that funds Support Staff for the Council. Shanti is the recipient of this support staff contract, so it houses a department whose role is to provide administrative, technical, and needs assessment support to the Council. So technically, the Council is not affiliated with Shanti; rather, Shanti houses the federal contract for providing administrative support to the Council.