The Mississippi Urban Research Center at Jackson State University has been funded by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration through the Delta Health Alliance to provide HIV/AIDS prevention education to community-based organizations in 18 counties in northwest and west central Mississippi.

MURC has developed the Delta Health Initiative HIV/AIDS Prevention Project which will serve the following counties: Bolivar, Coahoma, Carroll, DeSoto, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Panola, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, Washington, Warren and Yazoo.

MURC will work with CBOs that provide HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment services to increase their capacity to operate more efficiently, to improve their organizational infrastructure and to become trained on implementing effective HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

Training will be offered on several HIV/AIDS prevention behavioral interventions. These are programs that are proven to be effective in reducing the acquisition and transmission of HIV/AIDS in targeted populations and are currently a part of the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions known as the DEBI project.

CBA services include training on Small Group Facilitation for youth, and on three select HIV/AIDS prevention interventions: Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS (SISTA) and Video Opportunities for Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex (VOICES/VOICES) and Making Proud Choices.