BTL Staff
LANSING – AIDS Service Organizations including Michigan AIDS Coalition, Wellness and Lansing Area AIDS Network, The Red Project, Between The Lines and community activists launched a new online social media campaign this week to increase testing among gay and bisexual men as well as transgender women across the state.
With the moniker "The rEVOLUTION Has Begun," the campaign will focus on the revolutionary prevention science as well as the medicine that makes HIV a chronic, manageable disease. Transgender women and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men account for nearly two-thirds of new HIV infections nationally and statewide.
"If you are negative, there are options to stay negative," Todd Heywood, a designer of the program who has been living with HIV since 2007, said. "If you are positive, you have options to live a long, healthy life and prevent transmitting the virus to anyone else. Facing the HIV epidemic requires a completely new vision, voice and strategy."
In May, the CDC announced new clinical guidance for medical providers to prescribe PrEP. Studies have shown that when PrEP is taken daily, it is 99 percent effective in prevention of HIV transmission for those who are HIV negative. That's more effective than any other option in the United States.
In the 2012 National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Creating Change Conference in Atlanta, Gregory Millet, an employee of the CDC tasked to the White House Office of National AIDS Police, released HIV prevalence predictions. The numbers showed that the current cohort of 20-year-old men who have sex with men have a 10 percent HIV-positive prevalence already. Black men in the same demographic have 20 percent prevalence.
Once this group reaches 50 years of age, half of all gay and bisexual men will be infected with HIV, while 70 percent of the black community in the same demographic will be infected. Transgender women are 50 percent more likely to be HIV positive than any other group of women.
Changing The Game
Innovations in prevention options have the potential to change the game with HIV.
For those that are HIV-positive, treatment of a few combined anti-HIV drugs can reduce the viral load in that person's blood to less than 28 viral particles per milliliter of blood. This reduces the potential to transmit HIV by 96 percent.
The first step in utilizing this new science is to get tested. With just a pinprick of blood and a wait time of 20 minutes, people can know their HIV status.
"This is essential to the health and well-being of the LGBT community" BTL's own publisher Susan Horowitz said. "The science is sound and convincing. We can stop those prevalence predictions from becoming our reality. We can stop HIV's march through this community."
The new campaign will feature tweets, Facebook memes and videos to drive traffic to PrEP4ITNow.com. The site will host pages to explore why testing is important, what science has taught about HIV transmission and what works to prevent new transmissions.
In honor of National HIV Testing Day on June 27th, the Lansing Area AIDS Network will sponsor a series of fun activities in Old Town including Bingo at the Esquire Club, rEVOLUTION Trivia and performances of Lansing's own drag stars at Spiral Dance Club.
Free HIV testing on a walk-in basis will be available from 4 p.m. to midnight at 1310 Turner St. in Lansing. Participants will also have the option of seeing if PrEP may be a prevention option for them.
"Outside of Detroit, Ingham county has been the highest prevalence of HIV cases in the state of Michigan," Dwayne Riley, prevention manager at the Lansing Area AIDS Network, said. "But with the advent of prevention options like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a new understanding of HIV transmission and the science of caring for those already infected, we know that we can slow this virus down."
Join the rEvolution and get tested. Available testing sites can be found below. To find a location not listed here call the Michigan HIV/STD Hotline at 800-872-2437.
Testing Information
State HIV/STD Hotline
800-872-2437
Metro Detroit
Affirmations
290 W. Nine Mile, Ferndale
248-398-7105
http://www.goaffirmations.org
Every Monday and Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. MSM only. Provided by MAC.
Every Thursday from 5:30-8p.m. for everyone.
Every Saturday from 1-5 p.m. for everyone, including youth. Provided by AIDS Partnership Michigan.
Michigan AIDS Coalition (MAC)
429 Livernois St., Ferndale
248-545-1435
http://www.michiganaidscoalition.org
Call to make an appointment.
Flint
Flint Wellness National HIV Testing Day
311 E. Court St., Flint
http://www.prep4itnow.com/flint/
Syphilis and STI screenings also available.
June 27 from 12-6 p.m.
Flint Gay Pride in the Park
U of M Rink and Flint Riverbank
http://www.prep4itnow.com/flint/
STI screenings also available.
June 28 from 1-6 p.m.
Ann Arbor
S3 Safe Sex Store
1209 S. University, Ann Arbor
734-741-1434
http://www.s3safesexstore.com
Every Thursday from 5-8 p.m.
Lansing
The Lansing Area AIDS Network at Old Town Lansing
1310 Turner St., Lansing
517-394-3560 ext. 30
http://www.prep4itnow.com
Every Wednesday and Thursday from 6-8 p.m. and June 27 at 4 p.m.
West Michigan
Planned Parenthood
425 Cherry St. SE, Grand Rapids
616-774-7005
http://www.ppwnm.org
All Week for National HIV Testing Day
Rumors Night Club
69 Division Ave. S, Grand Rapids
616-454-8720
http://www.prep4itnow.com/grand-rapids/
June 26
Diversions Night Club
10 Fountain St. NW, Grand Rapids
616-451-2623
http://www.prep4itnow.com/grand-rapids/
June 28
