2012 Annual Report - Mazzoni Center

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9 Prevention & Outreach HIV & STD SCREENING Every nine and a half minutes, someone in the U.S. becomes infected with HIV – and one in five of them do not know it. Here in Philadelphia HIV infection rates are five times the national average. Getting individuals who are at a high risk for infection tested for HIV – especially gay and bisexual men, and young men of color who have sex with men - is a critical first step towards helping them take charge of their health. Statistics tells us that people who know their HIV status are much more likely to seek medical care, which dramatically improves their health outcomes. Testing remains a crucial focus in the battle against HIV/AIDS, because we know that identifying and treating individuals with HIV not only improves their health, but reduces the risk of transmission to others. WASHINGTON WEST PROJECT The Washington West Project, located at 1201 Locust Street in the heart of Philadelphia’s “Gayborhood,” is our main testing site - offering free, walk-in HIV/ STD testing and screening in a welcoming, storefront setting six days a week. “Wash Every nine and a half minutes, someone in the U.S. becomes infected with HIV – and one in five of them do not know it. In Philadelphia, HIV infection rates are five times the national average. West” frequently serves as a ‘gateway’ for individuals seeking information and/or testing, many of whom get connected to additional Mazzoni Center programs and services after their initial contact here. This year at Wash West we tested 5,143 individuals for HIV, an increase of 19% over FY2011. This boost in testing is due in part to heightened awareness of Wash West through focused outreach efforts and word of mouth, as well as extended testing hours introduced in fall 2011. Our CTR (counseling, testing, and referral) team is also part of the pilot project, launched in January 2012, that takes place at Wash West two Friday nights each month, offering free medical care, hormone replacement therapy, and HIV/STD screening and STD treatment. MOBILE TESTING UNIT Mazzoni Center’s mobile testing unit (MTU) provides HIV/STD screening in underserved areas and at community events throughout the city of Philadelphia, reaching people where they live, work, and socialize. This year our MTU appeared up to four times a week at regular sites in Germantown, North Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia; and provided free HIV and STD screenings at 16 festivals including National Black HIV Awareness Day, World AIDS Day, OutFest, and Philadelphia Gay Pride. We also offer testing in designated ‘wellness rooms’ at the local bathhouses, Club Body Center and Sansom Street Gym. Our CTR Team can be found at these various sites six days a week, during both daytime and nighttime hours, helping Philadelphians protect their health by knowing their HIV status. PREVENTION & OUTREACH In FY2012 our Prevention staff reached more than 25,000 individuals with safer sex kits and materials through street
outreach, which remains one of the most effective means of getting people tested and informed about health and wellness services available to them. These days community outreach has evolved to incorporate online spaces as well - so in addition to faceto-face contact at bars, clubs, and public events, we made close to 2,000 contacts in FY2012 through online outreach on sites like Facebook, Adam4Adam, Grindr, and Scruff. Our team distributed approximately 170,000 condoms and safer sex kits at our three locations, by request, and at community events this year. GET REAL Storytelling is another powerful way to capture someone’s attention - and true stories often have the strongest impact. Through the CDC-funded Get REAL project, we interview men from across Philadelphia who have sex with men, and publish their real-life stories in poster and postcard form. These stories explore the various reasons someone may become vulnerable to transmitting or contracting HIV, including: poverty, social isolation, and substance abuse. The aim is to promote discussion of HIV, safer sex, and the health of gay and bisexual men in Philadelphia. This year we produced ten Get REAL stories, and distributed over 23,000 copies of the stories. SYPHILIS ELIMINATION PROJECT Through funding from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, our staff developed a marketing campaign (“Syphilis Is Here”) to educate individuals, specifically gay and bisexual men, about the high rates of syphilis in Philadelphia, emphasizing the need for Mazzoni Center provided a total of 6,933 HIV tests at Wash West and our other locations in FY2012, a 26% increase from the previous year. routine screening and condom use. The “Syphilis Is Here” campaign was created as a poster, a palm card, and a series of print ads that ran in the Philadelphia Gay News in summer 2011. The posters were displayed at over 20 gay and bisexual “hot spots” in Philadelphia, and over 2,000 of the palm cards were distributed along with condom packs by our community outreach teams. THE REAL IMPACT PROJECT (T.R.I.P.) Funded through the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office of Philadelphia, T.R.I.P. uses a social networking strategy to encourage HIV testing in the black gay and bisexual community in Philadelphia. This year T.R.I.P. held two meetings per month with the goal of enlisting individuals who will recruit members of their social network and encourage them to get tested for HIV. By having men advocate for HIV testing to their friends, we leverage the power of peer networks and achieve a higher impact than we could through outreach and media efforts alone. Peer recruiters receive training on different approaches they can use to talk with friends, family, and community members about HIV and the importance of knowing your status. EARLY INTERVENTION COUNSELING & WELLNESS SERVICES When a person tests positive for HIV it is our goal to get them connected to health care as quickly as possible - while also dealing with the many other questions and concerns that will arise with this lifechanging news. In addition to linking newly diagnosed HIV positive individuals to health care and providing accompaniment to the first few medical appointments, our Early Intervention Counseling (EIC) service also provides referrals for support services including case management, food bank, partner services, and more. This year the program posted an 83% success rate in linking newly diagnosed clients to care. In FY2012 this service was merged with our ‘Wellness Counseling’ program, which offers high-risk MSM (men who have sex with men) the opportunity to work one-onone with a counselor to reduce their risk of HIV transmission. 10
Page 1 and 2: Leading the Way to a Healthier Futu
Page 3 and 4: table Of COntents Message from the
Page 5 and 6: WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON LGBT HEAL
Page 7 and 8: PILOT PROGRAMS: BRIDGING THE GAP In
Page 9 and 10: REACH: Recovery, Empowerment, and C
Page 11: For many of our clients medical car
Page 15 and 16: Trans* Care Services Transgender an
Page 17 and 18: Breakdown of cases in FY2012 reques
Page 19 and 20: Individual, Foundation, and Corpora
Page 21 and 22: Stephen Assenheimer Mark Aufdemberg
Page 23 and 24: Public and Government Support Phila

2012 Annual Report - Mazzoni Center

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