The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Workforce in Crisis: An Urgent Need to Build the Foundation Required to End the Epidemic
Wendy S. Armstrong
Abstract
(See the Major Articles by Ramirez et al on pages 1608–14; Bono et al on pages 1615–22 and Budak et al on pages 1623–6.). In February 2019, during the State of the Union address, President Trump announced the new “End the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America” initiative (ETE) with the goal of reducing new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmissions by 75% in 5 years and by 90% by 2030. The plan focuses on 4 strategies to accomplish the goal: Diagnose (those living with HIV), Treat, Prevent (transmission in those at risk of acquiring HIV), and Respond (to outbreaks). Early versions of the plan included a fifth pillar—establishment of an HIV “Health Force”—to accomplish these goals. While the 4 strategies have attracted significant attention and funding, the need to expand the HIV workforce has been left off subsequent graphic representations of the initiative and has garnered little attention...