ISU-Boise's Galen Louis Awarded Contract to Improve HIV Services in Idaho

Boise- The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has awarded Idaho State University professor Galen Louis a $109,164 contract to help improve HIV services in Idaho's seven health districts.

"Our goal is to provide a model for creating locally based community plans for HIV prevention and care -- a core function of public health," says Louis, PhD, director of ISU-Boise's Master of Public Health program.

This fall, Louis and researchers conducted focus groups throughout Idaho to identify gaps in local HIV services and gauge perceptions of those services. Communities included Boise, Caldwell, Coeur d'Alene, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls.

"We wanted to find out what users think of existing services. Have they encountered barriers within their own communities? Our goal is to build a profile of what each community looks like," says Louis.

Louis' research, which analyzes HIV trends and cases in Idaho, will help the Department of Health and Welfare develop a strategic plan to meet specific needs within each health district.

"What one community may need for HIV prevention and care may differ from what another community may require. We are grateful to be utilizing Galen's expertise in public health for this important project," says Teri Carrigan, HIV prevention coordinator for Health and Welfare's Sexual and Reproductive Health Program, which is funding the research through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control.

Louis expects to complete his research by January 2009. For more information, contact Galen Louis at 208-373-1779 or louigale@isu.edu.