Christopher Culp, Outreach and Education Specialist at Planned Parenthood of Central & Western New York, sent us this post to open discussion among CAPP and PREP colleagues. Please comment to continue the conversation!
Be Proud! Be Responsible! is an HIV prevention curriculum and it contains a lot of information about HIV. Yet, even with the 2016 version, there are some new and exciting shifts in HIV prevention that are missed. Three of those are PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis), and U=U (Undetectable=Untransmittable). These three are key tools in HIV prevention and education toolbox, specifically empowering people to take control of their sexual health and fight against stigma. This is especially important as New York State carries out its Ending the Epidemic initiative for 2020.
I know that we all teach from various backgrounds and experiences. I was wondering if we could have a discussion based on these advancements to perhaps support each other in developing well-rounded education and referrals for the youth we work with. I’d like to start off with a few questions and see where people are in incorporating PrEP, PEP, and U=U into their programming.
1) Do you talk about PrEP in your programming (an adaptation)?
2) Do you talk about PEP in your programming (an adaptation)?
3) Do you talk about U=U in your programming (an adaptation)? (This can be sensitive, as some organizations have not signed onto the U=U consensus, though NYS has.)
4) Do you think there is value in including one or more of the above topics in your adaptations?
5) If you do include these, do you face any challenges in teaching or incorporating it into your programs?
6) How easy is it to have a list of referrals for youth that are interested in PrEP, PEP, or U=U in your community?
7) Do you make any adaptations to directly address HIV stigma? If so, what are they?
Thank you all. Please feel free to email me directly if you have questions – christopher.culp@ppcwny.org
– Christopher Culp
Find more about PrEP and PEP here on the HIV/AIDS page.
Learn about U=U from the Prevention Access Campaign.
