Last week, DSFederal received word that our HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau Building Futures team will win a National Association of Government Communicators Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award, for the Building Futures Technical Assistance Toolkit. The NAGC Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards recognize the best in government communications projects, either government- or contractor-produced, and we are thrilled that our entry was selected from among many creative and innovative communication projects.
We developed the Toolkit, which is available for download at Target.HIV.gov, as a resource for Ryan White Program-funded clinics that serve Youth Living with HIV/AIDS (YLWH). The Toolkit offers strategies and resources that providers can use to improve care and outreach efforts. Built around themes including Clinical Service Models, Infrastructure Development, Program Development, and Wraparound Services, the Toolkit is a beautifully designed full-color publication that is easy to read and use, yet authoritative and comprehensive.
DSFederal has long served the HIV/AIDS Bureau, providing technical assistance and support for PEPFAR and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. The Toolkit was the product of over two years of work, including a series of clinic visits that allowed our consultants to observe real-world successes and challenges, and document best practices. Backed up by first-hand research and provider testimony, the Toolkit serves as a practice-based resource to improve care at these clinics.
According to providers, the Toolkit helped them to increase retention in care, establish a new YLWH support group, and improve communication. HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau published the Toolkit on TargetHIV.org and distributed several hundred copies at the National Ryan White Conference in December 2018. We are proud that this authoritative, practical, well-researched product is also beautiful; and we hope that it will inspire providers to see a hopeful future for the young people in their care.
Although we know that we will receive a Blue Pencil Award, we don’t yet know which one! NAGC will announce the first-place, second-place, and Award of Excellence winners at its annual Awards Reception in June. We are thrilled to be counted among a talented group of fellow nominees and winners, and we look forward to the opportunity to celebrate our shared success.