News 2016
In This Issue
This week we are launching the first in our quarterly updates on the Black Treatment Advocate's Network (BTAN) chapters. AIDS happen in local communities. People get infected in local communities; people get tested in local communities; people either access treatment or not in local communities; people access prevention services or not in local communities. We can focus as much as we want on national policies and we should. But the real work happens on the ground, and that is the work that BTAN chapters do all over this country. BTAN chapters think globally, and act locally.
In This Issue
In this issue, we are excited to help spread the really fantastic news that Fulton County Georgia is opening Atlanta's first PrEP clinic. Georgia ranks second nationally and Atlanta fifth in the rate of new HIV diagnoses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Positive Spin and HIV Stigma
Uriah
Last March, we launched the digital storytelling project, Positive Spin to continue to raise awareness and understanding of the HIV care continuum. Given the disproportionate impact of HIV on young Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and our ongoing commitment to using new media tools in HIV efforts, Positive Spin features the personal stories of Black MSM who have successfully navigated the continuum from initial diagnosis to achieving viral suppression.
San Francisco's Top HIV Doc Aids Fulton County, Ga., in Launching PrEP Clinic—Provided Training
Leisha McKinley-Beach, David Holland and John Eaves at the opening of the new Fulton County PrEP Clinic
Flanked by veteran California warriors in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman John Eaves and the leadership of the County's Health Services Department announced new elements in the battle against the disease. Dr. David Holland, Chief Clinical Officer of the Communicable Disease Division, announced the expansion in the recently opened PrEP Clinic. PrEP, the acronym for pre-exposure-prophylaxis, is a regimen or strategy that includes taking one pill a day to keep from getting HIV. It is highly effective when taken properly--people who use PrEP must commit to taking the drug every day and seeing their health care provider for follow-up every 3 months. PrEP is strongly recommended for people in high risk groups—men who have sex with men, women whose partners may have bisexual sex and persons with multiple sex partners. The really good news—manufacturer Gilead Sciences is making PrEP available at NO COST to those who need it but are unable to pay.
Register Today for Webinar on Viral Hepatitis: Opportunities for Faith-based Groups
Members of the faith-based community get ready for webinar on viral hepatitis
The HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (Partnership Center) and the Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy (OHAIDP) have re-scheduled their co-sponsored webinar on the important role of faith communities in the national response to viral hepatitis. The webinar will introduce a new resource for faith-based groups, the Health Ministers Guide to Viral Hepatitis: The Silent Epidemic. The webinar will be held on Thursday, February 18, 2016 from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM (ET).
Read more: Register Today for Webinar on Viral Hepatitis: Opportunities for Faith-based Groups