Collaborative governance and role of the Grantee in HIV/AIDS health services: the Broward County of South Florida experience

This research examines the collaborative engagement of target populations, service providers, and non-elected community leaders following a legislative mandate to provide care and treatment to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-infected and HIV/AIDS-affected populations with the Grantee as the critical variable. The study relies mainly on in-depth interviews of key stakeholders in 2016 and is complemented by observations in 2013–2014 to generate relevant data for analysis and interpretation. Findings point to the Grantee’s essential role in allocation priorities, stakeholders’ capacity building, conflict resolution, strategic engagement and planning, contracts with a network of providers, and attendant execution and performance measures. The study highlights the Grantee’s pivotal role in the convergence of community and county administration in collaborative governance toward purposeful ends with collective impact on some vulnerable segments of the population. The study also exemplifies a rare case of public policy addressing a public problem consistently over the years despite some resource challenges.