They think Meth is a Myth in Ohio.

In an ever-changing society where people continue to self medicate themselves, we are now learning about the dangers of Crystal Meth. It has become the US's second most used illegal drug, right after marijuana. Celebrities like Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas are publicly acknowledging their past addictions to the drug. 1 in 7 Gay men try the drug every year.

Yesterday I attended a very informative workshop on Crystal Meth and HIV. I have done much research on Meth, but this workshop was particularly interesting because it really broke down the connection between Meth usage and HIV.

A bottom line used by speaker, Chris Lacharte, was that sex while under the influence of drugs, is so much riskier when the intention of the drug use in the first place, is to have sex while on them. This brings to mind many of the men I am testing weekly at Club Cleveland, the local bathhouse. When the power of sex is mixed with the high of drugs, it can be one of the riskiest scenarios for an MSM.

In viewing the speakers' statistics and looking at a geographical view of Meth usage in the United States, I was quite shocked to see there were only 2 states in the entire country that had not reported on Crystal Meth usage among state residents. Guess what? One of those 2 states was indeed Ohio.

I sat grinding my teeth when hearing about the other states and how they were addressing the issue and creating Meth Task Forces and recovery programs. I also sat there in disbelief staring at the only 2 non-reported states, one of which was Ohio, my home, and a place where I attended many parties in Cleveland and Columbus where Crystal Meth was free flowing. Ohio is also a state where I lost many friends to the addictive, destructive drug and saw 4 well-known community Meth dealers go to prison.

I keep hearing about an inclusive study Kent State University is doing on Meth use in Ohio. Once these numbers can be reported, people will see Ohio has a Meth problem to deal with as well and we won't be a blank state at a national conference. Most importantly, help can be set up for those Ohioans who want to stop, but can't. Hopefully recovery can be considered as an option, before this drug epidemic leads to more unfortunate HIV infections in our Ohio MSM community.

-Don
Don Hill, ManHealth Coodinator

Unsung Heroes

As I approached the opening plenary session, I was a little concerned about what I would be experiencing and how much of it would benefit me. I realized that this was my first time attending a conference on this level and I wanted to take full advantage of my opportunity here. The opening session was uplifting and I was sparked to go to an institute session(A Call to Action in the African American Community), that made me feel like it was worth me being here and taking in all of the knowledge I could in order to increase my ability to do my job.
I was amazed to see so many people at the opening plenary session who had the same passion as we do at the Taskforce. As the opening ceremony started and people continued to pour into the hall it became clear to me that this was something serious and there was commitment, compassion, dedication, love, history, and s/heroes in this room. I can't explain the feeling I had and the sense of urgency that this session placed before me.
After the opening of the conference I chose to go to the above institute for the duration of the day. While attending this session there were a lot of questions that I and others wanted answered, some of them were answered and some were not but all in all it gave me even more enthusiasm to work even harder for youth and women in my community because the increase of HIV/AIDS in the African American community continues to grow out of control. There were several issues placed in front of us for discussion after information was offered on funding sources for possible future prevention programs. Again I was moved by the enthusiasm of all of the people in the room and their desire to work toward stopping the continued increase of the virus in the African American community.
The rest of my time here at the conference I focused on the work that I am already doing with PLWH and PLWA, attending sessions and workshops on or about educating PLWA to become educators in the field. The United States Conference on AIDS caused me to brainstorm for new ideas, gave me a new found love for the work that I do, an increase of respect for the people that work beside me and people who live everyday infected but fighting and also a tan that I did not need! Overall it was a very uplifting experience and I would not trade the experience I gathered from this for anything else. See You All Soon!

Where Did The Time Go?

I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown. Every day it seems as if there have not been enough hours to do everything. On October 1 BICC will begin a new chapter in its story. Throughout the conference there have been an overwhelming number of workshops and roundtables that have addressed and responded to youth issues. On so many occasions I’ve not known which workshop to choose and have instead chosen in many instances to do “stop by’s”: stop by one session for a specific amount of time, gather the materials, and then head off to another session.

A session yesterday, “Selecting, Adapting, and Tailoring Evidence Based HIV Prevention Interventions” provided some very specific strategies and practices for “adapting” CDC approved effective behavioral interventions (aka DEBI’s) while maintaining the integrity of the core elements, which through implementation have been scientifically proven to gain positive behavioral outcomes. While some of the agencies and participants expressed frustration, I found myself feeling optimistic with the organizational forward thinking, guidance, planning, and support provided through implementation of DEBI’s with adaptation thus far at ATGC.

The foresight of Tracy, Michael, and Earl has really helped to cement the success ATGC has had in successfully adapting interventions. Community assessment, independent evaluation, collection of qualitative and quantitative data, ongoing assessment, program revision throughout implementation, etc. were all recommended by the facilitators as critical best practices when adapting DEBI’s. All of these best practices have been implemented by ATGC throughout BICC’s history. Some people may not know that BICC has been the successful adaptation of the Many Men, Many Voices model. As of October 1 BICC will move into a five year period where Mpowerment will become the model upon, and through which, BICC will provide programming. As we try to respond to the growing need for young women’s programming at BICC, I am hopeful that we will be as successful in adapting other effective behavioral interventions using the best practices presented in the workshop.

Collaboration continues to be recommended as key for programmatic success. “Optimizing Prevention Through Collaboration: ASO’s, CBO’s, and Schools Working Together for Collaboration” provided an overview of a successful prevention program that has reached over 50,000 young people each year. Given that so many BICC members are school aged, it may be an effective BICC service and recruitment strategy to collaborate with some area schools. Strategies such as doing informational mailings to key school personnel at targeted schools on ASO youth services and prevention programming are strategies already underway at BICC. So once again: ATGC is on the right track!

Check back later on more about Microbicides, Women and the DL Phenomenon, Advocacy for Women, and what’s happening in other places with programming for transgender populations: I have a final workshop to get ready to attend!


greer!

Greer A. Hill, Associate Director of Youth Programming

Any last requests?

Today I was able to attend three very informative workshops. This morning's focused on establishing effective Internet prevention interventions, this afternoon's on the policies and debates surrounding abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, and this evening's on the CDC-approved group of HIV prevention interventions commonly called DEBIs (Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions). Today's luncheon plenary centered on intimate partner violence as it relates to HIV infection and risk.
Tomorrow is the last day of the conference, so please submit any final questions or information requests.
-Nathan

The Warriors Continue to Train for Battle

Today I felt particualarly inspired. In looking around at the workshops, particularly in the halls outside of the workshops, you see people of all different races, genders, and sexual orientation, from all over the country. Everyone looks extremely different, but there are certain things that this diverse group of people have in common...

These people are warriors and they are all here to train for a battle. The armor they wear are their black USCA messenger bags and the name badges around their neck. The badges they sport, are their dedication and commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS. It is so inspiring as a rookie in this battle, to be here and absorb the passion I have seen from the attendees of this workshop. Leaders in this industry from all over the country are here talking and planning, coming together to share ideas and ways to combat the same thing we are fighting back home.

Being here shows me just how small a part I am of such a big thing. Every small part matters of course, but coming together and putting your small piece together to make the whole of this workshop has been emotional for me.

I am very pleased to see so many workshops for minority groups, particularly African-American Youth. They have been a huge focus of most workshops, as they should because they are such a growing high-risk group. Also promoting cultural diversity are some of the workshop completely presented in Spanish, while others focus on small and almost ignored populations such as HIV-positive Pacific Islanders. There is something very empowering about receiving the most up-to-date information and updates about HIV by some of the biggest and most credible experts in the country. It can be overwhelming to process so much information, but it is indeed rich and beneficial for someone like me, who is still constantly learning so much about HIV and AIDS.

When I leave this training in a few days, will I be prepared for the battle? I will take my armor and newly earned badges of dedication and commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, and stand in line with the thousands here with me today, and do my best to make a difference and win this fight.
-Don

Making Over DEBI

Although I have lots to share today (which I'll get to in a forthcoming post) I wanted to briefly talk about the lessons learned from an informative workshop today about adapting DEBIs. The session, entitled "Selecting, Adapting, and Tailoring Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Interventions", shed some light on some of the general misunderstandings held by many agencies about individual DEBIs as well as outlined some strategies for improving and "relevanting" these programs.

One of the most surprising things we discussed was the degree to which DEBIs could be modified without sacrificing the integrity of the "sacred" Core Elements (for those who don't know: Core Elements are those features of each DEBI that have been scientifically "proven" to demonstrate several desired outcomes). Some DEBIs are so customizable that even the name can be changed. The case study used in this training was for the Street Smarts intervention, but this aspect of name change is akin to BICC's October 1st move from an underlying 3MV model to the MPowerment model, while still keeping the Beyond Identities Community Center name as its community face if you will.

Other components where modification is/was warranted, and in some situations, encouraged are elements like language, props/tools, and some areas of evaluation methods. Again, the Street Smarts intervention was used to demonstrate not only the effectiveness of these changes but also its ease of implementation and commitment to maintaining the Core Elements.

I think educators (CBA/Preventative/Psychosocial Counselors) and administrators alike sometimes find themselves frustrated by the fact that it seemed the DEBI has been forced upon many CBOs without taking into account the practicalities of target populations and diverse environments. However, it seems clear that although there are some kinks to work out with the DEBI model to account for the diversity of the nations target populations (African-Americans in the Midwest do not always behave the same way as African-American's in California), there are still some avenues we have available to make this effective intereventions truly....effective, while still getting along with the CDC.

- Miquel O. Brazil, PEMS Administrator/Capacity Building Coordinator

Day Two - Information Overload!

Today was the second official day of the conference. Despite some frustrating transportation issues, we're getting along fine and gathering loads of information to share with everyone upon our return.
I was able to attend two very informative sessions today - one on reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act and the other on meth use and HIV (more on that coming). But I wanted to share my personal highlight of the day that occurred during the luncheon plenary. Two of the most accomplished and esteemed HIV researchers, Robert Gallo and Luc Montagnier, shared the stage to provide a treatment and research update. It's always beneficial for me to hear about the scientific updates and history - to hear what we've learned and how much it's helped not only people living with HIV and those at risk of infection, but also how HIV/AIDS research has contributed to other research arenas such as microbiology, vaccine development and cancer treatment. Both Gallo and Montagnier shared their predictions of the scientific advancements needed to end the epidemic, detailing the ways science can and will be able to prevent HIV from entering T-cells. Hearing both of these prominent figures explain detailed science with all of us, and encourage us to continue all our treatment and prevention efforts (calling us the army), was quite inspiring.
And of course hearing Jennifer Holliday sing "And I'm telling you" was fun!
-Nathan

CDC releases new HIV testing recommendations

Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new HIV testing recommendations. Though the recommendations are not legally binding, they will guide state laws and regulations in the coming years. Among the recommendations is a call for routinized testing of all adults, regardless of risky behaviors, and proposals to phase out written consent and pre-test counseling.
Today at the conference CDC officials hosted a roundtable discussion on the newly released document. Advocates raised questions on the cost-effectiveness of testing people not known to be at risk for HIV infection. More critically, advocates needed clarification for eliminating written consent and pre-test counseling, noting the risks associated with a positive diagnosis and the opportunity for risk reduction. CDC officials continued to assert that all HIV tests would be voluntary and that medical and psychosocial referrals would have to be included with a positive diagnosis.
Some HIV/AIDS groups supported the recommendations, citing data that those aware of their HIV status are significantly less likely to transmit the virus, and the fact that approximately 250,000 - 300,000 Americans are living with HIV and do not know it.
The debate around HIV testing policies will surely continue, and we are unsure how much impact these recommendations will have. In any event, it was great to witness HIV prevention policies being introduced at a conference filled with immense experience, knowledge and passion.
More to come...
-Nathan

Registration and Magic Johnson

Hello all!

Today we visited the Westin Diplomat Convention Center to register before the conference officially begins tomorrow morning. We all recognized many familiar faces from HIV/AIDS organizations around the country. There are approximately 3,300 people registered!

Tonight Earwin "Magic" Johnson addressed participants in an informal, "rally" atmosphere. Dr. Benny Primm, one of the nation's leading medical and environmental HIV/AIDS experts, introduced the well-recognized spokesperson on HIV awareness. Magic spoke about his education and philanthropic endeavors, and encouraged everyone to share as much information as possible during the conference. Attendees were quite inspired by his presence and stories of survival.

Stay tuned for more gathered information as the conference officially kicks off with tomorrow's breakfast plenary featuring Kweisi Mfume, U.S. Senate Candidate (Maryland) and Former President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Sheryl Lee Ralph, National Minority AIDS Council Spokesperson, and Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of Ryan White. The day will then consist of various six-hour institutes where we will surely begin gathering answers to many of your thoughful questions.

Stay tuned...
-Nathan

Are We There Yet?

Yes we are...

We all arrived safely in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida today around noon. It is an understatment to say that it was amazing to leave the gray skies and rain of Cleveland behind to land in a world of 80°+ weather, sunny skies, and the aroma of the Atlantic Ocean.

As of this moment we've settled into our hotel and after returning from a brief snack break at the nearby Whole Foods Store, I've taken some time to review this weekend's upcoming sessions, roundtables, and special events; I can't begin to describe how excited I am about some of the discussions and learning opportunities about to take place. This year's USCA features topics ranging from everything to youth of color and the intricacies of the DEBI's to improving advocacy efforts for marginalized populations and strengthening agency infrastructures.

We're all having dinner tonight to discuss some details of our game plan to maximize all the conference has to offer and to just acquant ourselves with the city in general. I don't want to be late, so I'm going to have to run, but stay tuned for more news and updates.

- Miquel O. Brazil : PEMS Administrator/Capacity Building Coordinator

September 19, 2006 5:44pm
Representatives from the AIDS Taskforce will soon depart to the United States Conference on AIDS in Hollywood, FL. We'll be collecting information on the latest HIV/AIDS research, treatment and prevention issues, as well as updates on the most recent government responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
While at the conference, we will be posting updates and highlights. We welcome questions that you may have on the conference, or on HIV/AIDS issues that we might be able to answer for you while interacting with many of the nation's leading service providers and advocates.
Stay posted for blog updates. We look forward to hearing from you!

-Nathan Schaefer, Director of Education and Public Policy