About Us

The Organization

The County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS Programs and Policy (OAPP) was established in 1985. The office directs the overall response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Los Angeles County. OAPP is a program office of the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health.

Executive Office

The Executive Office is responsible for directing the overall administration of Los Angeles County's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It oversees budgeting, program planning and coordination, and the integration of OAPP programs. It is responsible for the development and submission of contracts to the Board of Supervisors and manages the assignment and allocation of resources to ensure provision of high-quality HIV/AIDS programs.

The Executive Office includes staff dedicated to the Medical Director and to Communications and Government Relations. The Office of the Medical Director manages Clinical Services and Quality Management. Communications is responsible for internal and external communication, including public relations and social marketing. Government Relations is responsible for collaboration with the Board of Supervisors, local, State, and federal elected officials, and government agencies.

Clinical Enhancement Services Division

The Clinical Enhancement Services Division (CES) provides overall programmatic direction for HIV/AIDS care within Los Angeles County. This Division houses 129 contracts and works directly with 58 agencies on an on-going basis. CES division's charge is to manage and assure that the highest possible standards for medical, health, and social services, are being delivered to people living with HIV/AIDS.

CES carries out these activities in accordance with the requirements and guidelines of the Comprehensive Care Plan and the Commission on HIV's Standards of Care Committee. These requirements and standards are developed through the community planning process in partnership with the HIV Commission, the Department of Public Health, and other external partners.

Client Services

Client Services Section provides monitoring, programmatic oversight, as well as technical assistance, for 16 service categories: Case Management/Home/Community-Based Care; Language; Residential Housing; Substance Abuse Day Treatment; Substance Abuse Transitional Housing; Substance Abuse Residential Detoxification; Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation; Residential Transitional Housing; Emergency Housing; Residential Hospice; Housing Assistance Adult residential; Residential Care Facilities for the Chronically Ill; Residential Skills Nursing; Nutrition Support (food bank/home-delivered meals); Training, and Transportation.

Social Services

Social Services Section provides monitoring programmatic oversight, as well as technical assistance, for 8 service categories: Mental Health, Psychotherapy; Mental Health, Psychiatry; Case Management, Psychosocial; Family Case Management; Transitional Care Management; Special Projects of National Significance; Legal/Permanency Planning; and HIV Peer Support.

Training

The Division is also responsible for providing formalized trainings and refresher courses to Case Managers County-wide, in addition to Skills Building Workshops that are open to internal and external participants.

Clinical Services Division

The Clinical Services Division (CS) provides the overall programmatic direction for HIV/AIDS care within Los Angeles County, managing and assuring the highest possible standards for medical, health and social services for people living with HIV/AIDS. CS carries out these activities in accordance with the requirements of the Comprehensive Care Plan, which is developed through the community planning process in partnership with the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV/AIDS and OAPP's Planning and Research Division.

Staff of the Clinical Services Division are actively engaged in establishing standards of care for services provided by contracted agencies, as well providing ongoing technical assistance and program oversight.

Contract Administration Division

Contract Administration Division provides contractual/administrative support to the Executive office, Finance Division, and program divisions of OAPP. CAD is responsible for eight broad components of County contracting: 1) elements of contracting, 2) abiding by legal contracting authority, 3) contracting strategy and planning, 4) solicitation development and process, 5) proposal evaluation process, 6) contract negotiation initiation, 7) cost analysis, and 8) executing the contract. CAD has three distinct sections: Solicitations, Contract Preparation & Negotiation (CPN) and Administrative Review (ARU) Sections

Solicitation

This section's primary function is to determine the appropriate solicitation such as Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Information (RFI), Request for Statement of Qualifications (RFSQ), Invitation for Bids (IFB), and Request for Concept Papers (RFCP), prepare and release the solicitation document, establish evaluation committee/review team, evaluate proposals/review bids, notify proposers of the recommended contracts, debrief proposers (if requested) and recommend selection of proposal bidder.

Contract Preparation and Negotiation

This Section prepares contract and board letters, obtains approval and files the board letters and contracts. CPN is responsible for obtaining contract approval by the Board of Supervisors (BOS), and managing the process of approval by County Counsel and the Chief Executive Office along the way.

The goal of the following three functions is to make the negotiation process more effective and standard across divisions as we:

Facilitate and Initiate the Negotiation Process;
Schedule Pre-negotiation Meetings / Contract Orientation Meetings;
Initiate and Finalize the Contract, Attachments, Schedules and Exhibits.

Administrative Review

Administrative Review provides administrative oversight for all contracts in CAD. ARU conducts annual administrative reviews, monitors contractual requirements such as licenses and permits, insurance, and leases for service delivery sites. ARU also updates forms such as Minority Status, and Certification of Non-Debarment. Monitoring the administrative compliance is paramount to the success of OAPP contracts and critical to ensuring adherence to the legalities of the contracts.

Financial Services Division

The Financial Services Division is responsible for all OAPP fiscal policies and procedures, including budgeting, financial analysis, procurement of services and supplies, reimbursement processing and reporting, fiscal compliance follow-up and technical assistance including all trainings on fiscal matters. Finance works with and is the liaison with other County departments, private sector contractors, and grantor representatives on fiscal matters.

Management Services Division

Administrative Services

Administrative Services is responsible for staff recruitment, personnel and payroll status, and workforce diversity. This Section also manages staff utilization, space allocation, facility services and operation.

Information Systems

Information Systems manages information and communications networks through systems of secure and reliable data and voice communications. It is also responsible for collecting critical data used by OAPP to assess the utilization and effectiveness of services and for providing client-level data to meet federal, State and local requirements.

Planning and Research Division

The Planning and Research Division (P&R) oversees planning for the provision of HIV/AIDS services, including developing annual plans and applications for HIV prevention, care and treatment services, and managing grants from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the State of California. P&R also coordinates the community planning process that is vital for the integration of HIV prevention, care and treatment programs with other public health programs across the County and the State.

In addition, the Division researches and evaluates the impact and outcome of programs managed by OAPP. Finally, P&R offers technical assistance in evaluation, statistical and research methods to OAPP staff, community-based organizations and agencies.

Prevention Services Division

The Prevention Services Division (PSD) oversees the effective delivery of services aimed at reducing the incidence of new HIV infections in Los Angeles County and facilitating the identification of persons who are HIV-positive through counseling and testing programs. PSD carries out these activities in accordance with the requirements of the Los Angeles County HIV Prevention Plan, which is developed through the community planning process in partnership with the HIV Prevention Planning Committee and the Planning and Research Division.

Staff of the Prevention Services Division are engaged in a program management approach to HIV/AIDS prevention services, providing technical assistance and program oversight to enhance the services provided by contracted agencies and entities.

Provider Support Services Division

The Provider Support Services Division (PSSD) works to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS by administering state-of-the-art educational and technical assistance to OAPP's community partners. This assistance comes in a wide range of forms, from trainings and materials review to capacity building and a resource center.

The Division achieves its overall provider support function through four main components, which are comprised of the following activities:

Training and Technical Assistance

The Division is responsible for providing and coordinating HIV-related training for OAPP service providers, OAPP staff, and staff of other County departments. This Section also manages training related contracts and coordinates training, including capacity building training for OAPP staff, County staff, and contracted agencies.

Current training programs include:

HIV Counselor Certification and Recertification Training, offered in both English and Spanish
Basic AIDS Workshop, offered in both English and Spanish
Case Management Certification Training
Bridging Theory and Practice Training
Curriculum Development Training

Materials/Curricula Review and Development

The Materials Review Section reviews and approves educational materials submitted by contracted agencies as required by their contract, provides technical assistance to agencies on materials development, and develops or reviews training curricula to be implemented by OAPP staff or contracted agencies.

Capacity Building

OAPP's Capacity Building Initiative was established in 1999 to expand and develop the organizational infrastructure and capacity of nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles County, in order to deliver and sustain a more effective response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Capacity Building Initiative is specifically focused on the areas of internal management systems, organizational leadership, internal structure and external relationships. In order to facilitate improvements in these areas, the Provider Support Services Division provides trainings and technical assistance, orientations for new agency leadership and grant allocations for infrastructure development and support. The Capacity Building Section also hosts the executive director forum series which brings together expert panelists and the executive directors of OAPP's contracted providers to discuss a wide range of capacity building topics.

Resource Center

This section is comprised of a variety of educational resources covering all areas of nonprofit management and governance, some of which have been developed by OAPP exclusively for its community providers, and all of which are made available to OAPP's contracted agencies. The section also coordinates live satellite broadcast videoconferences which provide viewers with the most up-to-date knowledge on specific HIV/AIDS topics. These interactive, educational forums are sponsored by various public health agencies and medical schools across of the nation, and they are offered as an additional resource for OAPP's community partners.

Office of AIDS Programs & Policy

The Office of AIDS Programs and Policy (OAPP) was established in 1985 to respond to the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in Los Angeles County. The office coordinates and directs the overall response to the epidemic in Los Angeles County in cooperation with community-based organizations, governmental bodies, advocates, and people living with HIV/AIDS. It sets the standards of care for countywide HIV/AIDS services.

OAPP receives funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the State of California and net County Cost. It utilizes the funds in the management of about 250 contracts with a network of more than 95 community-based organizations and eight County entities in an effort to maximize access to HIV/AIDS services in Los Angeles County.

MISSION

To respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Los Angeles County by preventing its spread, maximizing health and social outcomes, and coordinating effective and efficient targeted services for those at risk for, living with, or affected by HIV.

VISION

New HIV infections in Los Angeles County have been eliminated through the adoption of healthier behaviors and those with HIV/AIDS have the best quality of life through the provision of the best care and treatment available.

DIVISIONS

OAPP comprises the following divisions:

Executive Office
Contract Administration
Clinical Enhancement Services
Clinical Services
Financial Services
Management Services
Planning and Research
Prevention Services
Provider Support Services

ACTIVITIES

OAPP extensively engages in activities to:

Develop Los Angeles County HIV Strategic Plan and HIV Community Prevention Plan, and regular updates in cooperation with community- based organizations, advocates, people living with HIV, other governmental bodies, and private-sector providers;

Maximize access to services for persons with HIV/AIDS through a coordinated system of care among community and public providers in Los Angeles County;

Coordinate and monitor continuum of care for HIV/AIDS services including residential, mental health, medical outpatient, adolescent HIV, psychiatric evaluation, medication, women's early intervention and transportation services;

Coordinate and monitor HIV counseling, testing, referral, and partner notification activities;

Organize the collection, analysis, and release of HIV-related data and provide data system support;

Conduct HIV/AIDS-related legislative analysis and liaison for HIV/AIDS-related interactions with State and federal authorities, and private organizations;

Develop and manage grant proposals, competitive solicitation processes and the resulting programs;

Provide staff support for HIV/AIDS planning and policy bodies and community coalitions including the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV and the HIV Prevention Planning Committee;

Provide HIV counselor certification, re-certification training, basic HIV/AIDS presentations, physicians' updates and care service providers training;

Coordinate and evaluate prevention and clinical services among public health clinics, comprehensive health centers and hospitals;

Develop, negotiate and administer HIV/AIDS related contracts to support a comprehensive HIV system of care;

Develop and maintain systems of reporting of disbursements, grant expenditures and revenues to ensure the maximization of grant funds.