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June 2005 Monthly Monitor
Advocates for Youth's Youth of Color Initiative
Feature: HIV Testing
Many young people are nervous about getting an HIV test, especially the first time. Before being tested, youth need to know the facts on HIV and HIV testing. It may also be a good idea for them to talk to a physician, friend, or family member about their feelings. Many youth do not know that they can also talk to an HIV test counselor without committing to taking the test. This can help them to get accurate information regarding HIV testing and may relieve some of their anxiety about the process. The only way for anyone to know for sure if he/she has HIV is to get tested. There are a number of different ways to test for HIV, including:
- Standard HIV Blood test—a blood sample is drawn and results are generally available within a few days to two weeks.[1]
- Rapid HIV test—provides results in as little as 20 minutes. Three rapid HIV tests are now available. In one, a health care worker wipes a treated swab along the gums of the mouth. In the second, a finger prick provides blood test results within 20 minutes. In the third, blood serum or plasma drawn from a vein produces results in 30 minutes or less.[1]
- Oral test—involves no blood or finger pricking. A health care provider swabs the inside of the mouth to collect a tissue sample. This test is not available at all sites.[1]
- Home test—may be purchased from most drugstores and costs around $45. HomeAccess is the only home HIV test currently approved by the FDA. It involves pricking one's finger with a special device, placing drops of blood on a specially treated card, and then mailing in the card for testing at a licensed laboratory. The kit includes an identification number to use when phoning for the test results. Customers may also receive phone counseling.[1]
Whether or not young people choose to have sex, they need to be able to talk with someone they trust (peer or adult) about sex. When teens are in sexual relationships, they need to be able to talk with their partner. Partner communication is a crucial part of HIV prevention. Talking with a partner and feeling supported by that partner can help in making HIV testing easier and less frightening.
In spring 2004, the Kaiser Family Foundation surveyed Americans for their views on HIV testing. The survey explored how many adults had ever been tested and/or talked to their doctor about HIV and AIDS, as well as their misconceptions and feelings about HIV testing. According to the survey:
- African Americans and Latinos were more likely than whites to say that they had been tested for HIV. Thirty-six percent of African Americans and 30 percent of Latinos, compared to 15 percent of whites, said they had been tested for HIV in the last 12 months.
- Fifty-seven percent of Americans ages 18 to 29 said they had been tested for HIV, compared to 62 percent of Americans 30 to 49, and 39 percent of those ages 50 to 64.
- Among all adults 18 and older, the portion of those who said they had ever been tested for HIV increased from 38 percent in 1997 to 48 percent in 2004.
- Even though African Americans (61 percent) and Latinos (54 percent) were more likely than whites (41 percent) to say they had ever talked with their partner about HIV, African Americans and Latinos were more likely to say that they needed more information about HIV testing.
- Stigma continues to be a barrier to HIV testing. Of the adults surveyed, 17 percent said they would be very concerned, and 14 percent said they would be somewhat concerned, that people would think less of them if people found out they had been tested for HIV. African Americans (35 percent) and Latino (32 percent), compared to whites (26 percent), responded that they would be very or somewhat concerned about what people would think of them.[2]
These findings suggest that people of color are vulnerable to forgoing HIV testing due to their fears of a social backlash. To see the entire survey, please visit http://www.kff.org/hivaids/7095.cfm
For more information about HIV testing, please visit the Health and Well-Being section of the My Voice Counts Youth Action Center at http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/youth/health/hiv/testing.htm
For information and support resources for HIV positive youth, please visit http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/youth/info/poz/index.htm
- KNOW HIV/AIDS Campaign. Get Tested.
- The Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Americans on HIV and AIDS. June 2004.
Youth of Color Initiative Partner Programs
Planned Parenthood of Nassau County, Hempstead, NY
Planned Parenthood of Nassau County, NY, (PPNC) is the largest provider of comprehensive reproductive health care services and sex education programs in the county. Its mission is to promote healthy and responsible decision making among Nassau County's most at-risk communities, while working to lower the county's rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. PPNC has several programs which work to prevent teen pregnancy, HIV and STIs—programs that offer outreach to those in high risk communities. For example, PPNC's Teen Advocate Project (TAP) is a prevention program specifically targeted to youth ages 13 through 24. The TAP program employs 12 to 15 peer educators who, with oversight by an adult coordinator, offer workshops, perform theatrical skits, and provide outreach at schools, beaches, fairs, malls, concerts and other places where teens "hang out", addressing issues such as date rape, safer sex, and HIV testing.
PPNC provides HIV testing to about 200 clients each month; of those 200, 50 to 75 (25 to 38 percent), are under the age of 25. Danielle Varney, TAP Coordinator, asserts that the peer educators are essential in getting teens the message about HIV and in referring teens to for HIV testing. The peer educators share information on HIV and provide referrals for both confidential and anonymous testing. Often, they accompany their peers to the clinic, helping them set up appointments and/or supporting them as they take an HIV test or get results.
Capacity Building & Professional Development
The 2005 National Conference on Latinos and AIDS will be held July 25-26 in Chicago, IL. The Conference's goal is to update the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of health care professionals who have patients with HIV or AIDS. The Conference is also designed for health care media, federal and state legislators, AIDS service organization staff, social workers, pharmacists, nurses, peer counselors, church leaders, and corrections health care personnel. Participants will become more familiar with the epidemiology of HIV in the United States, guidelines and cutting edge clinical management of HIV, current research on drug abuse and the HIV epidemic, social and psychiatric concerns of HIV-infected individuals, policy initiatives, trends, and political issues which affect HIV-infected people. The conference fee is $90 before July 15th and $125 thereafter. For more information or to register, please call 866-901-6267.
Training Resources, of Des Moines, IA, will offers a three-day training on the Fundamentals of HIV Prevention Counseling, June 28-30, 2005, and September 20-22, 2005. This three-day workshop will demonstrate effective, client-centered HIV prevention counseling strategies to assist clients in reducing their risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV, hepatitis, and other STIs. Participants will learn how to 1) personalize counseling messages and 2) develop realistic and incremental risk reduction plans with their clients. The workshop will also cover HIV testing, post-test counseling, and locating appropriate resources for clients who test positive. This workshop is designed for nurses, clinicians, social workers, community educators, substance abuse treatment counselors, other professional counselors, and staff working in HIV prevention and care. Space for this training is limited, so register early. Individuals working in state-funded HIV counseling, testing, and referral sites will receive preferential registration. There is no fee for this training. For more information, or to register please visit, http://www.trainingresources.org/displayconvspecific.cfm?convnbr=1520
The Sixth Annual Institute for Program Development and Evaluation (IPDE) will be held August 25-27, 2005 at the Crowne Plaza Cabaña Hotel, in Palo Alto, CA. IPDE provides teen pregnancy and STI/HIV prevention program staff with the information and skills they need to integrate science-based principles and practices into planning and evaluating effective prevention programs. The 2005 IPDE conference will include five courses (taught during 2.5 days) that collectively cover program modeling, process and outcome evaluation, and best practices in teen pregnancy and STI/HIV program development and adaptation. The deadline for registering for the 2005 IPDE conference is July 22, 2005. For questions, e-mail socio@socio.com or call Dr. Julie Solomon at 650-949-3282 x206 (toll free 800-846-3475 x206). For more information or to register, please visit http://www.socio.com/ipde/
Funding Opportunities
Funding Opportunities Local Initiative Funding Partners (LIFP) 2006 has released a Call for Proposals. The Local Initiative Funding Partners is a partnership program between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and local grant makers that supports innovative community-based projects to improve health among and health care for vulnerable populations. For the most vulnerable, factors outside the health care system –such as poverty, violence, and inadequate housing or education—contribute significantly to poor health. To be eligible for these matching grants of $100,000 to $500,000 a project must be nominated by a local grant maker. Deadline for Stage I applications is June 30, 2005 for awards that begin on July 1, 2006. For more information, please visit http://www.lifp.org/html/apply/apply.html
The US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Health Resources and Services Administration is sponsoring a Categorical Grant Program to Provide Outpatient Early Intervention Services with Respect to HIV Disease. The grants' purpose is to provide—on an ongoing, outpatient basis—high quality, early intervention services and/or primary care to individuals with HIV infection by increasing the present capacity and capability of eligible ambulatory health service entities. All early intervention services (EIS) programs must provide: HIV counseling and testing; counseling and education on living with HIV; appropriate medical evaluation and clinical care; and other essential services such as oral health care, outpatient mental health care, outpatient substance abuse care, nutritional services, and appropriate referral for specialty care. For the EIS grants, a major focus is on increasing access to HIV primary care and to support services for communities of color. Funding, available through the Minority AIDS Initiative, has improved HRSA's ability to fund indigenous organizations and those serving communities of color in delivering culturally and/or linguistically proficient primary care HIV services. Application due date is July 19, 2005. For more information and to view the full announcement, please visit http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/HHS/HRSA/GAC/HRSA-05-021/Grant.html (no longer available) or contact Jose Morales M.D. at 301-443-0493 or jmorales@hrsa.gov
Announcements
An estimated 180,000 to 280,000 people in the United States are HIV positive and don't even know it. National HIV Testing Day is held each June 27th. Coordinated by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US), this campaign helps reach millions of Americans at risk for HIV with the message that "It's better to know." For more information and resources, please visit http://www.napwa.org/hivtestinfo/
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month Activity from our Youth of Color Initiative Partner
American Indian Child Resource Center Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, 21 Generations, Oakland, CA
The health educators in the 21 Generations Peer Health Educator Program (PEP) put up flyers for a contest that asked teens to come up with a pregnancy prevention poster for the month of May (Teen Pregnancy Prevention month). The contestants came from the neighborhood, as well as, from other, American Indian Child Resource Center (AICRC) programs. Aside from pregnancy prevention services through 21 Generations, AICRC offers an after-school tutoring program, serving an average of 200 Native American school-age children annually through the on-site Indian Education Center. PEP's health educators chose a winner at the end of May, and they received a prize incentive, along with four movie passes to encourage dating in groups.
Resources
Advocates for Youth
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kff.org/
KNOW HIV/AIDS
http://www.knowhivaids.org/
National Association of People with AIDS
http://www.napwa.org/
National HIV Testing Resources
A service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
http://www.hivtest.org/
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