CCI is one of just six health centers nationwide to collaborate with the American Medical Association on the toolkit.

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND, AUG 31, 2022 — The American Medical Association (AMA) has selected CCI Health Services (CCI) to participate in a new initiative aimed at helping health care professionals increase routine screenings for HIV, STIs, viral hepatitis, and latent tuberculosis (LTBI). CCI is the only community health center in Maryland selected to participate and just one of six organizations nationwide.

The initiative, developed by the AMA with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), responds to declining clinical visits in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating health organizations will test the quality improvement strategies outlined in the toolkit to determine their impact on routine screening and provide feedback before further dissemination.

“Getting diagnosed before an infection causes serious illness should be the norm—not the exception,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., M.P.H., Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. “Routine screening saves lives, increases health equity, and reduces health care costs. This AMA-CDC collaboration supports evidence-based strategies to effectively and efficiently scale up routine screening.”

CCI has expanded efforts to provide HIV screenings within the community in recent months. From June 2021 to June 2022, the organization conducted 8,225 HIV tests. Moreover, CCI launched an HIV screening campaign called Know Your Status this past April with accompanying informative videos in English and Spanish encouraging the public to get tested.

To learn more about CCI’s work toward ending the HIV epidemic, visit cciweb.org.

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About CCI Health Services: Founded in 1972, CCI Health Services is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides quality and affordable health care to patients in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. In addition, CCI empowers underserved populations and advocates for a more equitable health care system.