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Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Receives Cooperative Agreement to Improve HIV Testing Worldwide

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 September 2005, 12:00 CDT

Global standards-development organization Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, formerly NCCLS) has received a $365,000 USD cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HHS/CDC) for capacity-building assistance for global HIV/AIDS laboratory guidelines and standards development.

The year-long agreement is funded by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which the U.S. Department of State describes as "the largest commitment ever by a single nation toward an international health initiative--a five-year, $15 billion (USD), multifaceted approach to combating the disease in more than 100 countries around the world."

Through the agreement, CLSI will assist in training the citizens of the nations most afflicted by HIV/AIDS in building a sustainable infrastructure for the development of long-term testing capacity--using, in particular, sound laboratory practices for HIV screening.

CLSI Executive Vice President Glen Fine, MS, MBA, says the cooperative agreement is an opportunity for CLSI to expand upon its expertise in the development of best practices, by putting those practices into action against one of the world's most formidable healthcare crises.

"We will develop partnerships with healthcare leaders in highly affected nations to discover how to best use our standards and guidelines in the fight against HIV/AIDS," says Fine.

Founded in 1967, CLSI has been developing its presence as a global leader in healthcare standards over the past four decades, with 4000 organizations from the industry, government, and professional sectors worldwide currently participating as members and volunteers.

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute is a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to developing medical standards and guidelines through a consensus process that balances the perspectives of industry, government, and the healthcare professions.

Source: Business Wire

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