Partners

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation

http://www.pedaids.org/
Obligated FY05 Funds     $6,722,257
Program Areas               Treatment: ARV Services 

The Foundation's National Objectives

The Foundation's objectives in Côte d'Ivoire are the following: 

• Implement HIV/AIDS care and treatment programs, including ART, at 44 sites in the south portion of the country, which is government-controlled, and two sites in the northern, rebel-held section of the country;
• Directly support PMTCT at 60 sites and indirectly support PMTCT at another 51 sites;
• Integrate voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) into all ART and PMTCT sites supported by the Foundation; and
• Work with the government to coordinate the national PMTCT and HIV/AIDS care and treatment strategies.

Programs

Care and Treatment Initiative

Key Accomplishments

• As of March 31, 2005, the Foundation's Care and Treatment Initiative (also known as Project HEART) has provided over 6,500 men, women, and children with care and support services and over 2,400 with ART, well exceeding its goals for the year;
• The Care and Treatment Initiative is presently the most successful ART program in Côte d'Ivoire; and
• There are almost 500 children on ART, comprising about 18 percent of the total patient population.

Future Directions

• Continuing support for pediatric and adult care and treatment at sites begun in the program's first year, and expanding services to additional sites both within and outside of Abidjan;
• Ensuring continued training of health care professionals at all supported sites; and
• Linking women who underwent PMTCT treatment and their children to continuing HIV/AIDS care through a comprehensive, family-focused care model that emphasizes the longitudinal tracking of patients through time.

Strategic Components

Project HEART-Côte d'Ivoire, initiated in 2004 when the CDC awarded the Foundation a cooperative agreement through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), is a very successful HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment program that benefits from the strengths of its partners, including the University of Bordeaux/Institut de Santé Publique, d'Epidémiologie et de Développement (ISPED), the Ivoirian non-governmental organization (NGO) ACONDA, and the Ministry of Health of the Government of Côte d'Ivoire.

The Foundation's Activities

The Foundation directly supports programs in the public sector with the following activities:

• Implementing a family-based, comprehensive model of HIV/AIDS care with a package of activities that includes primary prevention, HIV diagnosis, clinical care, psychosocial support, and community outreach;
• Transporting patients to clinics when needed;
• Assessing adherence to ART regimens;
• Sensitizing the general population to HIV/AIDS issues; and
• Setting up support groups to encourage patients to adhere to treatment.

The Foundation's Locations

The Foundation is currently providing support to the following sites:

• CEPREF, Yopougon District 
• H.P. Dabou, Dabou District
• Anonkoua Koute, Abobo District
• Abobo Nord, Abobo District
• Abobo Sud, Abobo District
• Wassakara, Yopougon District
• Port Bouet2, Yopougon District
• Yopougon Centre Plus, Yopougon District
• HG Sasandra, Sassandra District
• CHU-Yopougon, Yopougon District

Project HEART supports the only two sites in Côte d'Ivoire currently providing ART to children.

PMTCT Initiatives

Key Accomplishments

The Foundation began to support PMTCT activities in Côte d'Ivoire in early 2005 when it assumed responsibility for PMTCT sites previously supported by the Government of Côte d'Ivoire.

Future Directions

• Expand to 60 PMTCT sites at the end of 2005 and indirectly support another 51 sites;
• Integrate VCT (for non-pregnant women, men, and children) into all PMTCT sites;
• Provide counseling and testing to 125,000 women attending antenatal care services;
• Provide 7,500 HIV-positive pregnant women with a complete preventive ARV course; and
• Develop comprehensive family care models to link PMTCT services to HIV/AIDS care and treatment services. 
  
  

Strategic Components

In Côte d'Ivoire, the Foundation will conduct needs assessments and plan program activities while coordinating closely with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and other partners in all the areas covered by a comprehensive PMTCT program, including ARV prophylaxis, nutrition, reproductive health, and maternal and child health. The analysis and planning process will support the implementation of the MoH national expansion plan for comprehensive PMTCT services. The Foundation's PMTCT Initiative, also known as the Call to Action program, is funded in Côte d'Ivoire by the U.S. Agency for International Development through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The Foundation's Activities

The Foundation directly supports programs in the public sector through the following activities:

• Providing institutional infrastructure and management;
• Refining and strengthening national policies and guidelines for scaling up PMTCT and associated services;
• Maintaining and improving PMTCT services currently directly supported by the U.S. government;
• Increasing the number of facilities providing PMTCT services in both the public and private sectors;
• Promoting and supporting comprehensive and innovative approaches to follow up with HIV-infected mothers and their children;
• Conducting operational research studies on critical PMTCT-related issues (e.g., ARV resistance and early diagnosis of infants);
• Providing voluntary counseling and HIV testing; and
• Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV using antiretroviral drug regimens.
  
  

The Foundation's Locations

The Foundation is currently providing or will provide support to the following districts:

• Abidjan Centre
• Abidjan Ouest
• Dabou
• Grand Lahou
• Jacqueville
• Alepe
• Abidjan Nord
• Abidjan Est
• Abidjan Sud 1
• Abidjan Sud 2
• Abidjan Sud 3
• San Pedro
• Sassandra
• Ferkessedougou
• Bouake
• Abengourou
• Agnibilekro
• Grand Bassam
• Tiassale
• Agboville
• Adzope
• Lakota
• Bocanda
• Bongouanou
• Daoukro
• Dimbokro