NASTAD

NASTAD is a non-partisan, non-profit association founded in 1992 that represents the public health officials who administer HIV and viral hepatitis programmes across the United States. Its membership covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, seven directly funded local jurisdictions and U.S. Pacific Island jurisdictions, and the organisation shares expertise with international partners.

The association works through four main lines of activity. It is a CDC-funded Capacity Building Assistance provider, strengthening health departments' ability to deliver prevention, surveillance, treatment and linkage-to-care programmes, including drug user health, harm reduction, housing, stigma reduction, testing, PrEP/PEP, health care access and health systems integration. It also conducts non-partisan advocacy, delivers peer-based training and technical assistance through a broad network of state, local and international expertise, and supports policy development for governmental programmes addressing HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and intersecting epidemics.

Technical areas of work include public health programme capacity building; HIV prevention, surveillance, treatment and linkage-to-care; viral hepatitis programme administration; harm reduction and drug user health; PrEP and PEP implementation; testing and health care access; health systems integration; policy development; and technical assistance.

NASTAD describes itself as a mission-driven association oriented towards ending HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and intersecting epidemics, with a practical, peer-based approach to sharing experience and a stated focus on equity, stigma reduction, harm reduction and health care access. Its work is conducted in collaboration among state, territorial, local, federal and community partners.