Utilizing multilevel partnerships to build the capacity of community-based organizations to implement effective HIV...

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), utilizing the expertise of public and private, federal, state, and local partners, increased the proportion of state health department-funded community-based organizations implementing effective behavioral interventions (EBIs) from .05 (1:18) in 2002 to .78 (14:18) in 2004. As the stewards of nearly two thirds of the HIV prevention funds awarded annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state health departments occupy an important position in diffusing the science of EBIs to their grantees. This article describes the strategies and partners employed by Michigan's state health department to build the capacity of community-based providers to implement effective behavioral interventions. Additionally, lessons learned by the MDCH are highlighted and challenges to the long-term sustainability of these interventions are also discussed.