BTAN L.A. PrEP Summit to Provide Latest Insights about HIV/AIDS among Los Angeles Residents
The FAME Corporations building, the location of the upcoming Los Angeles PrEP Summit, houses a number of community programs. It was originally the social justice outreach of the legendary First AME Church
The Los Angeles chapter of the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) along with the FAME Corporations will host the LA Prep Summit to address the underutilization of PrEP in Black communities and present information on the latest biomedical advances in preventing the disease.
The event will take place on Thursday, March 31 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at FAME Corporations, 1968 West Adams Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Presentation topics will include: Biomedical Science Overview; Accessing Health Insurance and Financing PrEP; and a lunch panel-Best Practices in Teaching, Prescribing and Taking PrEP. The afternoon breakout sessions will explore the Influence of Intersectionality on Black Gay; Bisexual & Other Same-Gender-Loving Men; Black Women; Black Transgender People; Black Heterosexual Men; and Black Youth.
Phill Wilson, President & Chief Executive Officer, of the Black AIDS Institute hopes the summit will raise awareness of PrEP in Black communities.
"One thing we are addressing at this PrEP Summit is medical mistrust, which is undermining our ability to help Black folks understand the potential benefits of PrEP," Wilson states.
PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of AIDS in HIV-negative individuals with an HIV positive partner when used correctly, but is still being underutilized in Black communities. This L.A. PrEP Summit presents an opportunity to raise awareness in the latest biomedical advances being used in the treatment and prevention of AIDS as well as providing service providers, researchers, policymakers, and community members with a forum for identifying best practices and implementation strategies for uptake of PrEP among Black people.
There will be HIV testing throughout the day and all summit attendees will get a chance to win a 2016 Kia Forte with an additional raffle ticket given to HIV test participants.
In conjunction with the summit, The Black AIDS Institute is releasing its annual report on the State of AIDS in Black America entitled Black Lives Matter: What's PrEP Got to Do With It?
"The report looks at where Black communities are in familiarity, understanding, knowledge, beliefs, access and utilizations of PrEP with recommendations on how the community can maximize the potential benefits of PrEP and other biomedical interventions," says Phill.
Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN)
The Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) is a national network of HIV/AIDS stakeholders including service providers, community members and leaders, educators, and people living with HIV/AIDS, who mobilize local communities to respond to HIV/AIDS in Black communities.
Through its 20 chapter across the country, BTAN aims to:
• Connect community members
• Raise HIV science and treatment knowledge in Black communities
• Strengthen local and national leadership
• Link and support Black Americans in HIV to care and treatment
• Advocate for policy change
• Reduce stigma and create an open, supportive environment for people living with HIV/AIDS
For more information about BTAN LA, please contact Gerald Garth at
Black AIDS Institute
Founded in 1999, the Black AIDS Institute is the only national HIV/AIDS think tank in the United States focused exclusively on Black People. The Institute's mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in Black communities be engaging and mobilizing Black Institutions, Leaders, and individuals in efforts to confront HIV/AIDS. The institute disseminates information, offers training and capacity building, provides testing and linkage to care, influences both private and public HIV/AIDS policy, and conducts mobilization and advocacy from a uniquely and unapologetically Black point of view.
FAME Corporations
Since 1992, FAME Corporations has been a community partner and leader in addressing social and economic inequalities affecting low-income, underserved communities in Los Angeles. Today, FAC serves over 1,000,000 people annually by leveraging strong community-wide partnerships, agency relationships, and organizational collaborations to deliver relevant and culturally appropriate programs impacting people's lives and improving the neighborhoods and communities they call home.
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