Let’s Stop HIV Together – Partnering and Communicating Together (PACT) Project
HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant public health challenge in the US. The annual number of new diagnoses decreased 7% from 2014 to 2018, but Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 27% of the new HIV diagnoses. As the largest and fastest-growing minority in the US, coupled with disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS, Hispanics are crucially important to prioritize in HIV prevention and care efforts, especially among MSM and transgender women. The National Hispanic Medical Association's (NHMA) partnership with CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together (Together) campaign will increase HIV awareness, reduce new HIV infections, and improve health outcomes.
Past Events:
Free CME Provided!
NHMA's National HIV Testing Day Twitter Chat on June 27 featured an online discussion on best practices to increase routine HIV testing in patients.
NHMA's Cinco de Mayo and new office housewarming on May 5, 2022 featured an insightful health literacy training led by D.C. Chapter Leader Dr. Rimola and Dr. Vargas-Jackson.
PrEP 101 Webinar: Increasing Uptake of PrEP in the Hispanic and Latino Community - April 20, 2022 In partnership with the American Academy of HIV Medicine
National HIV Testing Day Twitter Chat:@NHMAmd - June 28, 2021
National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Twitter Chat: @NHMAmd- September 27, 2021
Since 2015, NHMA has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Latino Commission on AIDS to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS in the Latino community through social media campaigns. As a PACT member, we have assisted in achieving the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States (NHAS) by reducing new HIV infections, improving health outcomes for individuals living with HIV, and reducing HIV-related disparities.
Using campaigns such as Start Talking. Stop HIV, Doing It, HIV Treatment Works, and Let’s Stop HIV Together, we are able to educate our followers on the importance of reducing risky behaviors, getting tested, and having open and honest conversations with their partners about HIV. Recently, we have been using the CDC’s new campaigns, Transforming Health, Prevention is Care, Prescribe HIV Prevention, One Test. Two Lives, and HIV Screening. Standard Care to reach our large network of healthcare providers. Through these provider campaigns, we are able to give resources to our Hispanic healthcare providers to do their part in reducing new HIV infections, improving health outcomes for individuals living with HIV, and reducing HIV-related disparities.
HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant public health challenge in the US, with a steady incidence of over 50,000 new infections yearly and 635,000 deaths since 2008. As the largest and fastest-growing minority in the U.S., coupled with disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS, Hispanics are crucially importation to prioritize HIV prevention and care efforts.
The purpose of NHMA’s Proyecto Consciente is to maximize the effectiveness and reach of the CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign by strategically disseminating HIV prevention messaging and communication within the Hispanic community, as well as implementing concurrent national engagement efforts that focus on HIV prevention and awareness. NHMA has leveraged its existing networks, organizational structures, and communication platforms using evidence-based approaches that acknowledge the diversity in the U.S. Hispanic community, including differences in media use and trust of health information sources.
Through this health communications campaign, NHMA has formed a new network across the nation and in the NY Community (Community Alliance Partners) to develop activities in jurisdictions hardest hit by the epidemic – in New York City. In addition, NHMA continues to develop its health communications through its website, newsletter, e-announcements, Annual Conference, Chapter Forums, as well as through social media and Twitter Chats and by participating with our partners’ social media efforts. We have successfully increased awareness, HIV testing, and treatment of Latino patients through the network of primary care physicians who care for high-risk patients. NHMA has also increased education of our medical societies, health professional organizations, and advocates who target high-risk Latinos.
