Planning Council Support Staff
You may sometimes need advice or TA that is PCS-focused, individual, and private. We will do our best to help, based on an in-depth knowledge of Ryan White legislation and guidance documents, past work with most Part A Planning Councils, development of literally hundreds of materials for Planning Councils (including the original and most recent versions of the Planning Council Primer (Spanish & English) and the newly rewritten Training Guide), and a deep commitment to HIV community planning and the consumer voice. Our advice is sound-practice-based and reflects our understanding of federal requirements and expectations, but this assistance is funded by EGMC, not by the HIV/AIDS Bureau. It will be virtually the same as hiring a consultant, except we won’t ask you to pay.
Our intent is to fill a gap, not to duplicate any existing resource. For example, the PCS listserv is an excellent peer-to-peer tool for PCS. Our TA provides a different perspective.
Other things you should know about PCSResource’s individual TA:
- We will generally begin our assistance by asking for enough information to ensure that we know what you need and understand the context of your request.
- Often we will be able to provide an immediate answer or provide sample materials from our existing repository. If not, we will look for an answer or try to find or develop sample materials.
- If your question has been well-addressed by existing sound-practice materials, like the Training Guide or other materials prepared as part of John Snow Institute’s (JSI’s) Project Planning CHATT (Community HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance and Training), the PCS peer listserv, or another project or source, we will say so, provide relevant materials and help you find specific information, and/or refer you to the appropriate resource.
- If no clear federal guidance exists on an issue, we will make that clear, and will lay out the issues and options.
- If you ask a question that we think requires Project Officer guidance, we will tell you so.
- If your request is too big for us to address by email, phone, or remote video conferencing and requires ongoing TA, we will do our best to suggest an appropriate resource.
- We do not provide on-site assistance like JSI’s Project Planning CHATT or the Ryan White Technical Assistance Contract (TAC), which generally require a request to be made through your Project Officer.
- We are very familiar with Planning CHATT’s materials (many of which EGMC developed), and are happy to suggest what might be most helpful to you.
To request help from PCSResource:
Contact us at PCSResource@egmc-dc.com, or call us at 202-798-1335 (Hila), or 202-798-0295 (Emily). Tell us what you need, and let us know if the need is urgent or has a specific deadline. Be as specific as you can!
We are happy to talk to PC leaders or recipients about possible needs, but the request for assistance must come directly from PCS personnel.
We will respond quickly. The decision about whether we can help will be made by EGMC based on timing of the request, resources available, our ability to provide what you need, and the priority we place on supporting meaningful HIV community planning and amplifying the consumer voice.