Letter from the Editor

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This issue of Network is the first of a series of publications dedicated to the topic of integrating family planning and HIV services. The collaborative effort — supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) — aims to address the field's needs for information on service integration, taking advantage of the diverse knowledge, perspectives, and program experience of USAID-supported cooperating agencies.

Integrating family planning and HIV services, while not new, is a complex endeavor. Ideally, family planning/HIV integration maximizes the use of existing services and minimizes the number of people who do not obtain the health care they need. But much remains unknown about how best to integrate services and what impact such integration will have on reproductive health outcomes, such as preventing HIV infection and unplanned pregnancy. This issue of Network will present a general overview of current thinking about integration. But the publication series, as a whole, is intended to encourage health professionals — researchers, program managers, policy-makers, and providers — to ask questions or share their experiences regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of efforts to integrate services.

With help from the Information and Knowledge for Optimal Health (INFO) Project at Johns Hopkins University and from FHI, the Health Information and Publications Network (HIPNet) will coordinate and oversee this participatory activity. HIPNet is a group of organizations working with USAID to encourage cooperation among organizations, eliminate duplication of publications, and promote dissemination and utilization of each organization's materials. For HIPNet's Web site, click here. Readers are invited to contribute to this ongoing discussion by sending suggestions to Peggy D'Adamo, cochair of HIPNet.

Kim Best
Managing Editor, Network