The Business Responds to AIDS/Labor Responds to AIDS (BRTA/LRTA) program is a public/private partnership that strategically promotes and assists the involvement of business and labor in HIV prevention, awareness and policies in the workplace to promote the development of comprehensive workplace HIV/AIDS programs.
There are five components to the BRTA/LRTA program:
The inclusion of all of these components into a workplace response reflects a comprehensive and robust HIV workplace program. However, each component can be tailored and applied individually to suit the workplace need and environment. The five components can be used for a specific HIV/AIDS prevention program or can be incorporated into a larger, overall health and wellness program.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated the BRTA/LRTA program in 1992, and designed it to engage and support the private sector in promoting HIV awareness and prevention in the workplace. To fulfill its mission of promoting the development of comprehensive workplace HIV/AIDS programs, BRTA/LRTA works in partnership with groups such as:
In addition to providing information and assistance to the private sector, the BRTA/LRTA program also provides tools and technical assistance to build the capacity of health departments to engage business and labor sectors for HIV prevention and awareness in the workplace. The BRTA/LRTA services offered to the private sector is informed by the BRTA/LRTA Partners' Board, whose members represent business and labor organizations from across the United States.
It is estimated that 26 million (more than 60 percent) of the 42 million people living with HIV/AIDS are workers between the ages of 15-49. This age group comprises the most economically active segment of society and the mainstay of families, communities, businesses, and economies. BRTA/LRTA fosters collaboration through the sharing of resources and ideas in order to heighten the public and private sectors' response to HIV/AIDS and to work towards the common goals of improved health and well-being.
The CDC has continued the funding and support of BRTA/LRTA since its initiation in 1992 to increase public understanding of, involvement in, and support for HIV prevention. BRTA/LRTA program highlights include:
BRTA/LRTA resources help private sector organizations develop and implement workplace policies and educate managers, employees, and their families with a variety of materials. BRTA/LRTA also provides tools to assist health departments in collaborating with the private sector for HIV/AIDS prevention. Tools include guides to recruiting and engaging business and labor organizations, marketing plans, and business survey templates health departments can tailor to develop and maintain public-private partnerships.
Local BRTA/LRTA projects develop partnerships between health departments, citywide business and labor leaders, and neighborhood merchants to:
Local merchants are asked to display and distribute HIV/AIDS materials to their customers and talk about HIV/AIDS awareness with customers and employees. They are also asked to encourage other neighborhood businesses to share HIV prevention information with their employees, customers, and peers. Citywide business and labor leaders are asked to become project ambassadors and to provide in-kind services and resources to assist with materials development and special events.
The BRTA/LRTA Center for Workplace Excellence in HIV Prevention (CWE) is a virtual center that equips health departments and the private sector with the tools to support public-private collaboration on HIV/AIDS prevention activities. CWE resource specialists respond to technical assistance requests via the BRTA/LRTA website and hotline number, and CWE workplace consultants deliver site-based technical assistance and training.
