Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Details for Mechanism ID: 16980
Country/Region: South Africa
Year: 2013
Main Partner: University Research Corporation, LLC
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: Private Contractor
Funding Agency: USAID
Total Funding: $950,000

In FY2013 URC-ASSIST will receive funding to support QA/QI for HIV treatment programs at national and provincial levels. Working closely with provincial and district managers in 5 provinces (LM, Mpu, NW, EC, KZN) URC-ASSIST will provide technical assistance to support implementation and scale-up of high quality HIV services in 31 districts in the 5 provinces. URC-ASSIST will assist districts to facilitate further scale-up of adult and pediatric HIV treatment services, improving retention as well as the quality of services provided to PLHIV and their families. Working within the district framework, URC-ASSIST will focus on supporting development of integrated referral systems between different levels of care and different health programs. In line with the NSDA and PEPFAR priorities, including the Continuum of Response (CoR) approach, URC-ASSIST will play an integral role in scaling up the implementation of Continuous Quality Improvement methodology. We will also build on previous work to strengthen the capacity of District HIV Managers to develop accurate district health plans and district health expenditure reviews in all 31 districts. URC-ASSIST staff will also assist the SAG with preparations for implementation of the NHI, through ongoing work with the National Core Standards. URC-ASSIST will capacitate DOH staff to utilize data to track and evaluate clinical outcomes, utilizing DHIS data. Support will also be provided to improve the DHIS especially the HIV care data management, analysis and data quality assessments at all levels. URC-ASSIST will also strengthen and support the implementation of the ART Tier.Net in supported provinces. Target populations include: PLHIV, Healthcare providers, Program Managers, PEPFAR partners, NGOs/CBOs/volunteers.

Funding for Health Systems Strengthening (OHSS): $250,000

In FY2013 URC-ASSIST will support health system strengthening activities at a national, provincial and district levels. Working closely with provincial and district managers in five provinces (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal) URC-ASSIST will provide technical assistance to support implementation and scale-up of health services at all DOH sites in 31 districts in the 5 provinces.

In line with the NSDA and PEPFAR priorities URC-ASSIST will play an integral role in the implementation of the PHC re-engineering initiative, through provision of in-service training, including NIMART, and development of preceptor programs specifically for community health workers, lay counselors and medical staff; provision of supportive supervision; development of educational materials and SOPs; monitoring implementation of work by PHC teams, compliance with HIV guidelines, norms and standards; and ongoing mentoring and coaching. URC-ASSIST will also continue to develop competency based assessments for all cadres of PHC team members.

URC-ASSIST will also strengthen and support the capacity of District Management teams through provision of assistance with development of district health plans (DHPs) and district health expenditure reviews (DHERs) in all 31 districts. Building on previous experience, URC-ASSIST will capacitate DOH staff to utilize data to track and evaluate clinical outcomes for all programs. In preparation for the rollout of NHI, URC-ASSIST staff is already assisting all 5 provinces with implementation of various quality initiatives, especially the 6 Ministerial priorities and the National Core Standards for Health Establishments. This work will be scaled up.

The population targeted for these interventions include DOH (National, Provincial, District, Facility), health workers, PEPFAR partners, other stakeholders, NGOs / CBOs.

Funding for Treatment: Adult Treatment (HTXS): $700,000

In FY2013 URC-ASSIST will support five provinces (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal) to expand the SA Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care, Management and Treatment plan, which seeks to increase access to and improve retention in ART care and treatment.

Working closely with provincial and district managers, URC-ASSIST will provide technical assistance to support implementation and scale-up of ART services at all DOH sites in 31 districts in the 5 provinces. In line with the NSDA and PEPFAR priorities, including the CoR approach, URC-ASSIST will play an integral role in the implementation of the PHC re-engineering initiative, through provision of in-service training, including NIMART, development of preceptor programs specifically for community health workers, lay counselors and medical staff; provision of supportive supervision; development of educational materials and standard operating procedures (SOPs); monitoring compliance with HIV guidelines, norms and standards; and ongoing mentoring and coaching. URC-ASSIST will also strengthen and support any existing systems to maximize retention rates in HIV treatment.

Building on previous experience, URC-ASSIST will capacitate DOH staff to utilize data to track and evaluate clinical outcomes, utilizing ART cohort data where available. Other performance data and current clinical outcomes will also be utilized for quality improvement at the facility level. In addition, URC-ASSIST will also strengthen and support the implementation of the ART Tier.Net data management system to support M&E. Support will also be provided on ART data management, analysis and data quality assessment during the implementation of the 3 tiered system.

The population targeted for these interventions include DOH (National, Provincial, District, Facility), health workers, PEPFAR partners, other stakeholders, NGOs / CBOs.