Press Release

June 6, 2006

People’s Army HIV/AIDS Workshop to be Held This Week

HANOI – Approximately 150 military medical professionals will come together at Military Hospital 103 from 7-9 June 2006 to improve capacity to battle HIV/AIDS.

The “Care and Treatment Workshop” will examine specific aspects of treatment and care that strengthen the capacity to minister to individuals who test positive for HIV.  The training will include lectures by Vietnamese professionals as well as visiting scholars from the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine (USA).  Participants will share their own expertise and experiences through group discussions.

One hundred fifty military medical personnel will attend the workshop that is jointly hosted by the Ministry of Defense, the Military Medical Department of the Vietnam People’s Army, and the U.S. Pacific Command’s Center of Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance (Honolulu, Hawai‘i).  The training is part of a series of workshops funded by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has partnered closely with Vietnam since 2004.

The program has already sponsored workshops focusing on advocacy, counseling, and laboratory techniques; and has facilitated laboratory renovations.  Anticipated activities in the coming year include further workshops targeting additional practitioners, to combat HIV/AIDS.

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The Center of Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance promotes effective civil-military management in international humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and peacekeeping through education, training, research, and information programs.  We work domestically and internationally with civilian and military personnel alike, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

Contact:
Elise Leroux, Public Relations Manager
Center of Excellence
808-433-1433
Elise.Leroux@coe-dmha.org