Seventh RCAP National Conference, April 7-9, 2011, Indiana University
You are cordially invited to participate in our seventh biannual, national conference addressing HIV/STD prevention issues in rural areas. The conference will be at the Indiana Memorial Union on the Indiana University campus, April 7-9, 2011. The conference, HIV/STD Prevention in Rural Communities: Sharing Successful Strategies VII, will include a keynote address, plenary talks, oral presentations and a poster session. You are invited to submit an abstract for presentation at the conference. The "call for abstracts" and registration/hotel information will be distributed and placed here in the fall, 2010, with the abstract submission deadline being late January or early February 2011.
Proceedings of RCAP 2009 National Conference Now Available
The sixth national conference focusing on HIV/STD prevention in rural areas was conducted in April 2009 at Indiana University, Bloomington. The conference, HIV Prevention in Rural Communities: Sharing Successful Strategies VI, was co-sponsored by RCAP and the National Rural Health Association. The goal of the conference was to present model HIV prevention education programs utilized in various rural settings throughout the United States, with emphasis on information exchange and lessons learned. A keynote address and plenary, oral and poster presentations were made.
A PDF copy of the conference proceedings which include the program, brief papers and abstracts is presented here (click here). A hard copy of the proceedings are available, free, for individual requests by emailing RCAP and providing complete mailing address.
RCAP Conference Plenary PowerPoints
The RCAP conference, HIV/STD Prevention in Rural Communities: Sharing Successful Strategies VI, April 16-18, 2009, at Indiana University Bloomington, attracted over 175 rural prevention specialists from over 30 states. The conference was one of the most successful RCAP meetings with numerous outstanding presentations.
The PowerPoint presentations of two plenaries are provided here: Charles Collins of the CDC, Dissemination of effective behavioral interventions in rural America with preview of the New DEBIs (click here) and James Markiewicz of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Rugged, rural, resourceful: Delivering HIV and STD messages to gay men and other MSM through community building groups (click here).
New Rural Guidelines Published
RCAP released a new publication at the its national conference in April, 2009, titled Tearing Down Fences: HIV/STD Prevention in Rural America (pp. 118). This guide is the first to focus on HIV/STD prevention is rural communities, and reflects the perspective of the HIV/STD Prevention Work Group as well as other selected rural HIV/STD professionals. Leaders in HIV/STD prevention in rural areas throughout the United States (the Work Group) were identified and provided the foundational messages of the guide during a meeting at the RCAP campus of Indiana University.
FENCES was sponsored by RCAP and five co-sponsors: National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, National Association of People with AIDS, National Coalition of STD Directors, National Minority AIDS Council and the National Rural Health Association. The final document was developed by senior editor and RCAP co-director, Susan Dreisbach and the RCAP staff.
Hard copies of FENCES are available now by contacting RCAP. Individual copies or multiple copies for professional HIV/STD staff members, in-service training and conferences are available. A PDF copy of Fences can be found at the Prevention Guidelines tab.
Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award
RCAP has initiated an award to recognize outstanding leadership in HIV/STD prevention, called the Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award. This award is in recognition of Ryan White, a rural Indiana youth who contracted HIV in 1984 and died in 1990. Ryan faced discrimination that drew national attention. He was a powerful spokesperson for AIDS research and education. This award will be given at each RCAP national conference.
The first recipient of this award is Jeanne White Ginder, Ryan's mother. Jeanne became an advocate for HIV/AIDS education and an activist for the rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS after her son was banned from school. Jeanne is a most deserving first recipient of the Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award.
The award was presented to Jeanne at the RCAP 2009 national conference by Dr. Robert M. Goodman (at left) Dean of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at Indiana University and Dr. William L. Yarber, RCAP Senior Director.
New Fact Sheets Available
RCAP recently developed three new fact sheets, “Computer Technology-Based HIV Prevention Interventions”, "Behavioral Interventions for Reducing Sexual Risk", and "HIV/AIDS Mass Media Campaigns." Click the “Fact Sheets” tab for a PDF copy.
2008 RCAP Monograph Available
RCAP published its seventh monograph dealing largely with HIV/STD prevention and research in rural communities. Click on the "Monograph Articles" tab for PDFs of the table of contents, each article, and contributors list. Free copies of the monograph are available from RCAP.
Native American Communities Guidelines Available
In collaboration with the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center,RCAP has developed the prevention guidelines, HIV/STD Prevention Guidelines for Native American Communities: American Indians, Alaskan Natives, & Native Hawaiians. Contact RCAP to request free copies. Also, the entire document is available as PDF files on the tab "Prevention Guidelines".
Standards for STD/HIV Prevention Curricula in Secondary Schools Available
A checklist of 63 standards that school officials and educators can use to evaluate their existing STD/HIV prevention education programs or to develop new curricula and materials was published in the October/November 2002 issue of the SIECUS Report. The standards, authored by RCAP senior director, William L. Yarber, include topics, essential messages, and learning approaches, emphasizing health-enhancing behaviors. A free copy of the standards is available from RCAP.
RCAP Provides Fax/E-Mail Information Service
To further our goal of providing current HIV/STD information to rural prevention specialists, RCAP issues monthly bulletins, RAP* Time. This publication is available as an email PDF. All of the issues of RAP* Time that have been published are located in the "RAP* Time" tab. All persons who join the RCAP National Network of Rural HIV/STD Prevention Specialists will receive RAP* Time.
