Combating health disparities is at the core of our mission at Mazzoni Center.  Our history as an organization is deeply interwoven with the history of the AIDS crisis.  As the disease has evolved, so has our approach to prevention, testing, and treatment.  We work closely with the CDC and the Health Department here in Philadelphia to ensure that our approaches are reflective of the latest data, and are reaching the people who are at the greatest risk.  Among the most significant challenges we face today is the alarming and disproportionate rate of HIV infection among men of color who have sex with men.

We know that men who have sex with men (MSM) represent more than half of new HIV infections in the U.S.; within that group CDC and local data tell us that MSM of color are infected at highly disproportionate rates.  From July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011 Mazzoni Center tested nearly 5,500 individuals for HIV: about 2,800 of them identified as MSM, and 1,100 were MSM of color.  The overall positive rate for MSM was 2.98%; but when you break it down to MSM of color the rate was an alarming 4.75%.  The situation is even more critical for young MSM of color (aged 24 and under). 

Tuesday, February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a national HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative, with organizers planning activities and events in thousands of locales around the U.S.  Mazzoni Center will offer free rapid testing from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at our Washington West location (1201 Locust Street), and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Community College of Philadelphia (17th & Spring Garden) where our mobile testing unit will be stationed.  We encourage everyone, but especially men of color, to get tested as a first step towards taking charge of their health. Statistics tells us that people who know their HIV status are much more likely to seek the medical care they need, which dramatically improves their health outcomes, and to take steps to protect their sexual partners and prevent further infections.

Beyond February 7, Mazzoni Center has a number of programs and prevention efforts targeted to men of color.  For young men aged 13-24 we have a long-running monthly workshop series - formerly known as “Many Men, Many Voices” - which we recently re-launched as “H.Y.P.E.”, or Helping Youth through Prevention Education.   H.Y.P.E. reaches out to young MSM of color and provides a safe space for them to talk candidly and constructively about identity, community, and individual risk reduction.

More than a dozen young people each month participate in H.Y.P.E., which consists of three days of intensive discussion-based workshops.  We talk with them about the factors that contribute to their risk, including social stigma and homophobia, racism, poverty, and lack of access to health care. As one of our recent participants said, “there’s a lot of stigma around being a young black male, and gay.”

Our goal with H.Y.P.E. is not just to provide positive, affirming messages for these youth - but to help create a sense of community, to educate and empower young men of color to take ownership of their health and their futures.  

For adult MSM of color Mazzoni Center offers The Real Impact Project, also known as TRIP.  The program specifically targets Black MSM as well as Black transwomen who have sex with men, and is based on the “Social Network Strategy,” which recognizes the importance of peer influence in impacting behavior  Through TRIP, we work to engage individual ‘recruiters’ who will advocate for testing within their group of friends or social network. Our goal is to find people who have undiagnosed HIV infection, and link those individuals to resources and quality health care. And for those who are negative and still engaging in risky behaviors, we provide them with a referral to other prevention services, to help them reduce their HIV/STD infection risk.

TRIP recruitment meetings are held every second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Washington West Project, 1201 Locust Street.  We provide a thorough orientation to the program, twice monthly check-ins, making sure the recruiter/advocates have a space to talk about barriers and challenges within their particular communities.  

In both of these programs we’ve seen that creating a sense of community makes a difference. Particularly among the young MSM who attend our H.Y.P.E. sessions, there is a hunger for connection and belonging.  It’s hard enough being part of one minority community, but when you compound this with a ‘second’ set of circumstances – whether it be sexual orientation, gender identity, or anything else – that places you outside of the norm, the social pressures and the sense of isolation can be overwhelming.    

This need for support and connection is also expressed by adult men of color who come to us through TRIP.  Many of them talk about the stigma around homosexuality in their neighborhoods and communities, and the reluctance to talk about things like HIV.  So a big part of our work is to help normalize these conversations, to open up a space for these men to have an honest dialogue, ask questions, share their stories, voice their fears, frustrations, and victories.       

At Mazzoni Center we are committed to meeting the challenges of HIV prevention and treatment, and working to find the most effective means of reaching people where they are.  We recognize that there are many factors that influence someone’s behavior, health, and sense of self-identity.  The reality is that even in 2012 many MSM of color face an extra burden of racial discrimination, cultural barriers to health care, and social stigma related to their sexual orientation or behavior.  Through educating our community about the risks of HIV infection, engaging individuals to act as agents of positive change, and empowering them to take control of their health and well-being, we can begin to address this health crisis that is threatening too many of our brothers (and sisters).    

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a good reminder of the work that needs to be done to reach these goals, not just on February 7 but throughout the year.  

For a full list of locations offering free HIV testing on Tuesday, February 7, go to:  www.nationalblackaidsday.org

To learn more about TRIP or how you can get involved, contact Abdul-Aliy Muhammad at 215-563-0652 or amuhammad@mazzonicenter.org

For more information about H.Y.P.E. contact Christopher Collins at ccollins@mazzonicenter.org