Quantitative evidence of collaborative governance of broward and palm beach counties hiv health services planning councils in two different legislative cycles

Broward County and Palm Beach County are among twenty-two (22) counties in the U.S. with Eligible Metropolitan Areas (EMA) in fifteen (15) different states that are endeavoring to address the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS in line with a federal mandate. These counties have had their respective Councils since the enactment of the CARE Act in 1990. The Councils have been responsible for making decisions such as allocation priorities for Ryan White funds among others for HIV/AIDS treatment and intervention services. The Councils employ collaborative governance of relevant state and non-state stakeholders in decision making including People with AIDS (PWAs). This study examines quantitative evidence of collaborative governance of the Councils from 2008-2009; and 2013-2014 in an attempt to ascertain the extent of engagement as it relates to addressing the HIV/AIDS conundrum. The study is guided by collaborative governance framework with particular attention to key dimensions such as collaboration, deliberation, and consensus with perception of collaborative governance within a five-year period as an added aspect. Quantitative evidence from surveys on the dimensions is analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test and factor analysis. The results highlight similarities than differences between the Councils on the use of collaborative governance as it relates to efforts to provide care and treatment to target populations. Furthermore, the results also point to iterative and multi-dimensional nature of collaborative governance for conceptual and practical purposes with implications for collective problem solving.