Miami-Dade County Health Department

26Miami-Dade County Health Department2009 Annual ReportClinical Laboratory ServicesOver 85,000 Patients ServedThis program provides rapid and accurate laboratory diagnostic services toassist in disease control and prevention. Among our customers are 22 clinicsconcerned with sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, family planningand health care for women and children.In 2008, more than 85,000 patients received laboratory services. The programperformed more than 90,000 in-house tests and collected, processed and sentmore than 100,000 specimens to reference laboratories.HIV/AIDSPrevention ServicesOur Office of HIV/AIDS has a number of cutting-edge program initiatives underway.We seek to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS by raising community awarenessregarding prevention and providing leadership on local and statewide researchprojects. At the same time, we seek to improve delivery of patient care serviceswhile strengthening the overall continuum of care. Programs include:• Proactively participating in a statewide Sista’s Organizing to Survive Women’sConference aimed at mobilizing black women on the impacts of HIV/AIDS anddeveloping action plans that prevent the spread of the disease.• Contractually agreeing with the Center of Disease Control and Prevention toevaluate the effectiveness of AMIGAS, an adaptation of the SISTA HIV preventionintervention, for use with Hispanic women.