NBIMC FTC Bedroom to Bathroom and Kiss & Tell Initiative Delivery Proposal

The ultimate purpose of Kiss & Tell is to offer empowerment via knowledge, improve access to vital healthcare resources in our community, and increase the number of participants who know their HIV status. It is our intention to create a safe space for participants to feel comfortable engaging, sharing, demonstrating, and learning with the primary goal of imparting the information and skills necessary to make responsible decisions regarding sexual health, post-workshop HIV testing, and connection to PrEP/PEP services.

• Introduced in 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative aims to reduce the number of new HIV infections in the United States by at least 90% by 2030 with the goal of decreasing the number of new HIV infections to fewer than 3,000 per year. Reducing new infections to this level would essentially mean that HIV transmissions would be rare and meet the definition of ending the epidemic. Currently, Essex County remains one of two NJ counties designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Ending HIV Epidemic (EHE) counties.
• The first phase of EHE focuses on 48 of the highest-risk priority counties across the nation (including Essex and Hudson counties of NJ). Per the NJ DOH County and Municipal HIV/AIDS Statistics 2021, Essex County has the highest prevalence of people living with HIV/AIDS in NJ with 25,430 cases of HIV/AIDS (16,122 males and 9,308 females) and 15,042 deaths (9,791 males and 5,251 females). The highest proportion of persons living with HIV overall in Essex County are Black Non-Hispanics (19,776).
• However, when stratified by race/ethnicity and gender, prevalence is highest among Black Non-Hispanic males (12,034) followed by Black Non-Hispanic females (7,742). Moreover, AIDS Interactive mapping reveals that in Essex County (2022), 52.8% of new HIV cases occurred among Blacks and that incidence is driven by persons ages 25 to 34 years (35.4% of all new cases). Overwhelmingly, heterosexual contact accounts for the majority (over 85%) of female HIV transmissions.
• A Plan for America has four pillars (or key strategies):
• Pillar One: Diagnose all People Living with HIV as early as possible;
• Pillar Two: Treat People Living with HIV rapidly and effectively to reach sustained viral suppression;
• Pillar Three: Prevent new HIV transmissions by using proven interventions, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and syringe services programs (SSPs)
• Pillar Four
  Respond quickly to potential HIV outbreaks to get needed prevention and treatment services to people who need them. (“Cluster detection response” in coordination with the state HIV surveillance system.) 

Program Scope and Purpose
Our “Bathroom to Bedroom and Kiss & Tell initiative,” Dually addresses all four Pillars. The two separate initiatives involve Bathroom to Bedroom initiative” to increase positive outcomes for biomedical interventions through community navigation of Home HIV Test Kits, PrEP Awareness\ Linkage to Regimen and Condom distribution to community partnering Primary Care Provider’s, GYN Medical Offices and Community Based Organizations. Kiss & Tell is the facilitation of an educational group discussion for focus populations. Highlighting key topics such as Communication Styles for partner conversations, HIV Risk Reduction, HIV Transmission, Condom demonstration, negation and distribution, and Prevention Awareness (PrEP/PEP). 

Proposed Collaboration
Your organization has been identified as a community-based organization or provider office that services those who may benefit from our initiatives. The Family Treatment Center of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center proposes to provide our intervention at your location or ours to your consumers via logistics to be established 

Age Groups	Adolescents Adults Seniors
Community Services	Family & Support Services Family Support LGBTQ Parenting & Caregiving Pregnancy / Teen Pregnancy
Health Services	Behavioral / Mental Health Teen Issues Medical Health / Wellness / Nutrition HIV / AIDS
Payment Types	Free

Last Updated: 02/16/25