The Prevention Evaluation Team and the Evaluation Consortium help monitor and evaluate statewide and local HIV prevention programs, including CBO demonstration projects.  These activities serve to assess and improve the quality of Florida’s HIV prevention services.

The Evaluation Consortium

The Florida Department of Health, Bureau of HIV/AIDS, Prevention Section established the Evaluation Consortium to enhance its capacity to evaluate Florida’s HIV prevention programs.  The Evaluation Consortium consists of a diverse group of professionals with expertise in evaluation from universities, county health departments, and community-based organizations throughout Florida.  The Evaluation Consortium provides program evaluation guidance and assistance to the bureau and its partners, including CBOs funded to implement demonstration projects.

What is a Demonstration Project?

A demonstration project is a “home-grown” program designed to explore innovative and promising approaches to HIV prevention.  Demonstration projects are designed to address specific community needs and at-risk populations. 

Funded Demonstration Projects

In 2009, the bureau expanded its prevention programming by funding four demonstration projects, supporting agencies in their efforts to reduce HIV infections by utilizing new prevention strategies accounting for community needs.  A strong emphasis is placed on the evaluation of each unique demonstration project, with evaluation being a requirement before, during, and after implementation.  The bureau’s Prevention Evaluation Team and Evaluation Consortium work with the funded providers to evaluate these programs.  The four demonstration projects are described below. 

Convention of Florida Health Ministries (CFHM)

Finding Alternatives that Initiate and Transform Hope (FAITH), founded in 1994, is a faith-based organization based out of Gainesville, FL that works with churches throughout the state to break barriers between HIV prevention and religious institutions.  FAITH’s demonstration project, CFHM, uses a structural approach of empowering, educating, and training faith leaders to reach the black community by establishing HIV ministries. These HIV ministries perform one or more of the following activities: distributing HIV educational materials, referring at-risk persons to HIV testing, delivering sermons on HIV/AIDS, conducting HIV outreach, and/or providing HIV counseling, testing, and linkage services.

Youth Empowerment Program (YEP)

The Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF), established in 1983, is based out of Apopka, FL and provides health services to persons living in farmworker communities.  FWAF’s demonstration project, YEP, is an adaptation of the Focus on Youth (FOY) with Informed Parents and Children Together (ImPACT) evidence-based intervention with additional components, including the development of digital stories with HIV prevention messages for youth and the use of social networking and other websites (e.g., YouTube, MySpace) to disseminate information.  YEP targets Hispanic and Haitian youth (ages 13-24) in farmworker communities in the following cities: Apopka, Pierson, Fellsmere, Homestead, and Immokalee. 
           
Future Leaders Of the World (FLOW)

Youth Expressions (YE) was founded in Miami, FL to support the long-term growth and progression of at-risk youth using novel approaches to youth development.  YE’s demonstration project, FLOW, targets black and Hispanic youth ages 13-25 in Miami-Dade County.  FLOW is a 6-month program involving an extensive HIV knowledge training, learning exercises, and discussion groups.  In the latter part of each FLOW cycle, participants deliver HIV prevention messages through artistic performances that focus on real-life scenarios and healthy decision-making.  Upon completion of the 6-month FLOW cycle, participants become certified as an HIV prevention peer educator. 
           
Men Involved in STD Empowerment Training Research Study (MISTERS)

Nehemiah Educational and Economic Development (NEED) was established in Orange County, FL in 2000 to provide persons with access to HIV/AIDS programs and resources.  NEED’s demonstration project, MISTERS, targets substance-using adult males recently released from a correctional facility.  MISTERS seeks to prevent HIV/STDs, reduce substance abuse, reduce criminal behaviors, increase use of positive anger management skills, and improve problem-solving skills of participants.  NEED collaborates with a number of community agencies to provide MISTERS participants with access to health services and assistance with career objectives.  NEED is partnering with the University of Central Florida to evaluate the MISTERS program.

Common Uses of HIV Prevention Program Monitoring and Evaluation

Program monitoring and evaluation is commonly used to assess and improve program implementation methods and program outcomes.  Such outcomes may include changes in participants’ or target populations’:

• Knowledge of HIV/AIDS
• Intent to test for HIV
• Intent to reduce HIV risk behaviors
• Self-efficacy (e.g., confidence to reduce HIV risk or use a new skill)
  
• Communication skills (e.g., condom negotiation)
• HIV risk behaviors (e.g., number of sex partners, number of unprotected sex acts, number of injection equipment-sharing events)
• HIV testing behaviors

Electronic Bookshelf    The following links provide guidance and tools for planning and conducting program monitoring and evaluation activities.

Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance
(The following PDFs open in a new window and are under 5mb)
How Does Evaluation Help In HIV Prevention? (CAPS Fact Sheet)
How to Effectively Evaluate Your HIV Prevention Program (Accion Mutua Fact Sheet)
Process Monitoring and Evaluation (Accion Mutua Fact Sheet)
Outcome Monitoring and Evaluation (Accion Mutua Fact Sheet)
Conducting a Participatory Evaluation (USAID Guide)
Designing Effective Questionnaires (Accion Mutua Fact Sheet)
Planning and Conducting a Survey (Accion Mutua Fact Sheet)
Purpose, Development, and Use of a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (CDC Presentation)
CDC Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health
CDC Procedural Guidance for CBOs

Example Survey Instruments
(opens in a new window)
Population Council HIV/AIDS Survey Library
CAPS Survey Instruments

Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Assistance
If you would like technical assistance on monitoring and evaluation, please complete the technical assistance questionnaire.

          

For additional information, please contact Alesia Traeye, M.H.A., Evaluation Coordinator, at (850) 245-4444, extension 2563.