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DATE: 04/01/2002	SUBJECT: FINAL READING ORDINANCE NO. 2002-O-068 Authorizing the City Manager to accept and execute all documentation from the Texas Department of Health for the Prevention Services for HIV Positive Clients Project of the City of Laredo Health Department in the amount of $84,210 by amending the budget for the period beginning April 1, 2002, through December 31, 2002; and authorizing the City Manager to amend the City of Laredo’s full-time equivalent positions by creating one caseworker position and one health educator position which will be funded by this grant.
INITIATED BY: STAFF SOURCE: Cynthia Collazo Hector F. Gonzalez, M.D., M.P.H. Asst. City Manager Health Director
PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: On March 25, 2002, Council held public hearing introducing ordinance and instructed staff to proceed with final reading.
BACKGROUND: The Texas Department of Health has contracted with the City of Laredo to provide public health services to residents of Laredo and Webb County through the City of Laredo Health Department. The mission of the Prevention Services for HIV Positive Clients Project is to identify HIV infected people in the two high risk target population groups, i.e. MSM (men who have sex with men) and IDU (injecting drug users), to empower them to adopt healthy behaviors to lower the risk of disease transmission and; to create HIV awareness by eradicating myths and educating with facts. The HIV/AIDS/STD Program will target two behaviorally defined target populations (BDTPs) with five (5) target intervention plans. The MSM (Color & White) population and the IDU population were chosen because both have been identified as high-level priority populations for HIV Prevention Regional Planning Coalition in its 1999 plan. According to the population Estimates for South Texas Planning Area (1999), the South Border population of Hispanic MSMs is estimated to be at 18,850. The combined total of identified IDUs from this border region totals 12,298. Such statistics indicate that there is still a significant amount of people that need to be identified in this Texas-Mexico border community of Laredo and surrounding counties. The issues that confront these two groups and pose a great challenge to recruiting and retaining them in the project are many and varied and will be addressed by the staff through defined strategies. These include development of a risk reduction plan for the client and teaching the skills necessary for the client to implement and carry out the risk reduction plan. The staff will address the client’s lack of knowledge of (or myths regarding) safer sex practices, reluctance of the client to use condoms, low self esteem, apathy, lack of social and familial support, and CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
FINANCIAL: The City of Laredo will receive $84,210 for the Prevention Services for HIV Positive Clients Project of the City of Laredo Health Department for the period beginning April 1, 2002, through December 31, 2002.
RECOMMENDATION:		STAFF: Recommends that Council approve ordinance.

depression, among others. Interventions will include individual and group level contacts by the prevention staff. Contacts will be made in the jails, rehabilitation settings or in a public setting such as parks or public sex environments. Incentives will be used to attract the target population to utilize the services of the project.

The City of Laredo’s full-time equivalent positions will be amended by creating one caseworker position and one health educator position which will be funded by this grant.

BUDGET

ORDINANCE NO. 2002-O-068

Authorizing the City Manager to accept and execute all documentation from the Texas Department of Health for the Prevention Services for HIV Positive Clients Project of the City of Laredo Health Department in the amount of $84,210 BY amendING the City of Laredo’s FY 2001-2002 by amending the budget for the period beginning April 1, 2002, through December 31, 2002; and AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO AMEND THE CITY OF LAREDO’S FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT POSITIONS BY creating one Caseworker position and one Health Educator Assistant position WHICH WILL BE FUNDED BY THIS GRANT.

WHEREAS, the Texas Department of Health (TDH) is contracting with the City of Laredo to provide public health services to residents of Laredo and Webb County through the City of Laredo Health Department, and

WHEREAS, the mission of the Prevention Services for HIV Positive Clients Project is to identify HIV infected people in the two high risk target population groups, i.e. MSM (men who have sex with men) and IDU (injecting drug users); to empower them to adopt healthy behaviors to lower the risk of disease transmission; and, to create HIV awareness by eradicating myths and educating with facts, and

WHEREAS, the HIV/AIDS/STD Program will target two behaviorally defined target populations (BDTPs) with five (5) target intervention plans. The MSM (Color & White) population and the IDU population were chosen because both have been identified as high-level priority populations for HIV Prevention regional Planning Coalition in its 1999 plan. According to the population Estimates for South Texas Planning Area (1999), the South Border population of Hispanic MSMs is estimated to be at 18,850. The combined total of identified IDUs from this border region totals 12,298. Such statistics indicate that there is still a significant amount of people that need to be identified in this Texas-Mexico border community of Laredo and surrounding counties, and

WHEREAS, the issues that confront these two groups and pose a great challenge to recruiting and retaining them in the project are many and varied and will be addressed by the staff through defined strategies. These include development of a risk reduction plan for the client and teaching the skills necessary for the client to implement and carry out the risk reduction plan. The staff will address the client’s lack of knowledge of (or myths regarding) safer sex practices; reluctance of the client to use condoms; low self esteem; apathy; lack of social and familial support depression, among others. Interventions will include individual and group level contacts by the prevention staff. Contacts will be made in the jails, rehabilitation settings or in a public setting such as parks or public sex environments. Incentives will be used to attract the target population to utilize the services of the project, and

WHEREAS, the City Manager is hereby authorized to amend the City of Laredo’s full-time equivalent positions by creating one caseworker position and one health educator position which will be funded by this grant.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAREDO THAT:

Section 1: The City Manager is hereby authorized to execute the contract and accept the grants and their provisions as set forth by the Texas Department of Health.

Section 2: The City of Laredo accepts funds in the amount of $84,210 in additional funds for the Prevention Services for HIV Positive Clients Project of the City of Laredo Health Department.

Section 3: Revenue line item 226-0000-323-4088 funded by the Texas Department of Health be increased from $0 to $84,210.

Section 4: Expenditure line item 226-6066 be increased from $0 to $84,210.

Section 5: The City Manager is hereby authorized to amend the City of Laredo’s full-time equivalent positions by creating one caseworker position and one health educator position which will be funded by this grant

Section 6: The City Manager is hereby authorized to make transfers within the budget as allowable under the General Provisions of the existing general contract with the Texas Department of Health to meet the necessary costs to accomplish the scope of work for the project.

PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND APPROVED BY THE MAYOR

ON THIS _________________ DAY OF ________________________, 2002 .

________________________

ELIZABETH G. FLORES

MAYOR

ATTEST:

________________________

GUSTAVO GUEVARA, JR.

CITY SECRETARY

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

________________________

JAIME FLORES

CITY ATTORNEY