Broward County Commission Regular Meeting

A. MOTION TO APPROVE Agreement between Broward County and the Community Foundation of Broward, retroactive from January 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019, in the amount of $60,000, to provide a pilot program that will train and certify HIV positive individuals to be employed as Peer Counselors (Peer Counselor Certification Initiative); authorizing the Mayor and Clerk to execute same; authorizing the County Administrator to execute amendments that do not exceed $60,000 and to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions to implement the grant award. 

ACTION:  (T-10:43 AM)  Approved.  

VOTE:  8-0. Commissioner Sharief was not present.

B. MOTION TO ADOPT budget Resolution No. 2018-231 of the Board of County Commissioners of Broward County, Florida, providing revenue within the Community Foundation Fund in the amount of $60,000 to provide training and certify HIV positive individuals as Peer Counselors.

ACTION:  (T-10:43 AM)  Approved.  

VOTE:  8-0. Commissioner Sharief was not present.

A. Agreements with external agencies require approval by the Board of County Commissioners.  

B. In accordance with the Florida Statutes Section 129.06(2)(d) Board approval is required to provide for revenue.

Approval will enable Broward County, through the Ryan White Part A Program, to receive funding to provide Peer Counseling Certification training to eligible residents living with HIV/AIDS.

None.

THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTIONS.

This action supports the Board’s Value of “Approaching human services collaboratively and compassionately with special emphasis on the most vulnerable,” and Goal to “Deliver evidence-based services to the public, and connect customers and their family members, to sustainable support, with special emphasis on financial supports.” Grant funding will enhance the efforts of providing high quality support services to eligible persons living with HIV/AIDS in Broward County.

Retroactive approval is sought as the Agreement was not finalized until April 20, 2018. The delay has no negative impact on the implementation of the grant, as the pilot Peer Counselor Certification Initiative has not yet begun. 

According to Broward County's Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan 2017-2021, the needs of HIV positive individuals were met in part due to the use of non-medical case management provided by Peer Counselors. Instituting a Peer Counselor Certification Initiative is an objective intended to improve the quality of non-medical case management services for HIV positive individuals. In furtherance of that goal, the Community Partnerships Division/Ryan White Part A Program applied for and was awarded funding from Community Foundation of Broward (CF) to develop a Peer Counseling Certification Initiative pilot for curriculum design, training, and certification.

The Broward County Ryan White Part A Peer Counselor Certification Initiative will serve two distinct roles for individuals living with HIV: providing an opportunity for HIV positive individuals to increase their skills through a professional training program; and, securing successful participants employment as certified Peer Counselors.  Most importantly, this pilot program professionalizes peer counseling services and highlights the importance of a client-centered approach to the achievement of good health outcomes for both the Peer Counselor and the HIV positive individual.

The Agreement is in CF's format, and CF will sign last following approval by the Board. The Agreement has been reviewed and approved as to form by the Office of County Attorney subject to the disclosures noted in Exhibit 4.

Mandy Wells, Director, Community Partnerships Division, (954) 357-6398
William E. Green, Human Services Administrator, Health Care Services, (954) 357-5398