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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Sheldon D. Fields, PhD, RN, FNP¹, Mitchell J. Wharton, MSN, CRNP, CNS¹, Anita Marrero, MS Ed², Avril Little, BA², Kraig Pannell, BA², and John H. Morgan, MSW². (1) School of Nursing, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Ave, P.O. Box SON, Rochester, NY 14642, 585-275-9943, Sheldon_Fields@urmc.rochester.edu, (2) Men of Color Health Awareness Project (MOCHA), Inc, 107 Liberty Pole Way, Rochester, NY 14604

Issue: Young men of color who have sex with men (YMCSM) continue to be disproportionately at risk for acquiring HIV/AIDS. Our community based organization needed to find creative ways to implement a new project targeting these YMCSM age 13 -24. The organization was not fully youth friendly, yet we needed to establish connections with this population. Therefore we implemented a youth drop-in center, designed using the Safe Zone Model. Description: Project YEAH (Youth Empowerment Around HIV) seeks to engage HIV seropositive YMCSM and their peers. This five-year (2004 – 2009) demonstration project (HRSA Grant # H97HA03788) will result in the development and implementation of outreach, care and HIV prevention programs for YMCSM. Lessons Learned: The establishment of a youth council was pivotal in the implementation of the drop-in center. Allowing the youth to have input on how the space was organized and designed, fostered ownership and pride in the space as well as in the overall project. Utilization of the Safe Zone concept worked. The addition of a computer lab in the space along with the establishment of tutoring, helped to anchor the drop-in center. A mix of social activities along side program activities helped to maintain the interest of the youth. Recommendations: Community based organizations seeking to engage YMCSM in HIV prevention services should investigate establishing a drop-in center that addresses their hierarchy of needs and provides youth development opportunities. Involve the youth in designing the physical space and in the programming.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Recognize and discuss the issue of HIV/AIDS among young men of color who have sex with men and the need for a drop-in center to help address this issue.
• Describe and discuss ways of designing and establishing a youth drop-in center targeting young men of color who have sex with men.
• Understand and discuss some challenges and solutions to maintaining a youth drop-in center for young men of color who have sex with men.

Keywords: HIV Interventions, Youth

Related Web page: www.mochaproject.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation