A program to train and develop Peer HIV Treatment Educators in the Community

While there have been tremendous advances with the treatment of HIV over the past decade, public perception and awareness about the disease has faltered.  This, combined with the fact that treatment advocacy involves the understanding of science and medicine, can put off many people, not just people of color. HIV University will teach people the science of HIV treatment and provide them with the skills to participate effectively in their treatment plans as well as acting as peer educational advocates in the community.

The factors that have contributed to the spread of AIDS in our community include a lack of awareness. Awareness of the causes, treatment, and methodology in preventing the spread of HIV are basic to the concept of an HIV University. There have been numerous reports in the last year about the impact HIV has had in minority communities in the U.S., especially the African American community. Most of this information details the terrible plight of heterosexual women infected by partners who are, knowingly or unknowingly, practicing "risky behaviors." The days of HIV being primarily a gay male problem are long since over. No community can continue to believe this myth and hope to survive.

To hold a continuing series of formal and informal educational sessions designed to educated and prepare affected and infected individuals to be peer HIV educators

Goal:

To "graduate" individuals after successful completion of HIV University and have those individuals act as advocates in the community by partnering with TACT and other community groups.

HIV University is aimed at strengthening individual capacity to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic on a peer based model whereby the graduates will return to their communities to assist others.  

TACT HIV University (THU) is the comprehensive training and capacity building program that will provide this structured educational environment using culturally competent linguistic and pedagogic instruction.

Methodology

The curriculum is offered to all affected or infected resident in the Hampton Roads region of Southeastern Virginia as an integral part of the umbrella of services offered by the Tidewater AIDS Community Taskforce at no cost to the public.

The series courses are cyclic and are offered several times a year. As each group graduates and is certified as THU HIV Community Educators, the next group commences.

Based upon the model created by the Black AIDS Institute of Los Angeles, the primary goal of the TACT HIV University is designed to increase the number of affected or infected people to become peer treatment advocates by providing training and support to people who work or volunteer in HIV and who are not linked with more traditional educational mechanisms.

• Three community mobilization sessions immerse participants in an environment where they continuously practice and apply the new skills-based knowledge and expertise gained through the comprehensive trainings.

• Engaging participants in comprehensive adult-centered trainings that allow them to learn and review in structured modules, building upon an ever-increasing knowledge base

• Immersing participants in an environment where they continuously practice and apply new skills based on their knowledge in the community

Instructor and support staff

Ms. Tiffany Hartman of the TACT staff is a graduate of the Black AIDS Institute, which is a 2 year program where by she is certified to carry on the curriculum and train others to be peer educators at the community to others living with HIV/AIDS.

A number of TACT staff have completed the TACT HIV University (THU) curriculum and have provided support for the continuing success of this program.

Background of program

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans now account for nearly half of all new AIDS cases in the U.S., although they make up 12 percent of the population. HIV-related disease is the leading cause of death for African American males aged 18 to 44, and the second most frequent cause for African American women in that same age group. More than half of all women and children with AIDS in the U.S. are African American.

As a response to this situation, the African American AIDS Policy Training Institute (AAAPTI) in Los Angeles came into being in 1999 as an AIDS "think tank" created by and for African Americans. Its mission is threefold: to engage a broad spectrum of African-American organizations in the fight against AIDS, to improve access to HIV treatment for African Americans, and to improve the quality of life for black people with AIDS. AAAPTI sponsors a variety of programs with these goals in mind, including town hall meetings, the Indaba multimedia AIDS training center, continuing education for HIV health-care providers in correctional facilities, and the Simon Nkoli Exchange/Mentorship Program: a Peace Corps-like initiative that assists non-governmental organizations in Africa. Chief among AAAPTI's programs is the African American HIV University, which focuses on training treatment advocates to educate African Americans about AIDS. A two-year fellowship program, it begins with an intensive 30-day, six-day-per-week AIDS Treatment College in Los Angeles, followed by four internships completed in the fellows' different home cities, with updates in Los Angeles every six months. Interns are expected to work one-on-one with clients, as well as recruit and train others in HIV treatment and prevention.

The venues for such community-based training ranges from recovery houses, to correctional facilities, to faith-based organizations, to the more usual AIDS service agencies and medical facilities. Fellows become part of the Black Treatment Advocacy Network (BTAN), which aims to build relationships between AIDS treatment advocates and African American organizations at both the local William Strain, director of THU, recently shared some of the organization's strategies for AIDS treatment advocacy. (information taken from the Black AIDS Institute)

Is there a cost to THU

No! there is no cost to anyone to participant in the THU course

I am interested, what do I do next?

Call or write Ms. Tiffany Hartman at the Tidewater AIDS Community Taskforce (TACT) as follows:

Ms. Tiffany Hartman

THU

c/o Tidewater AIDS Community Taskforce

9229 Granby Street

Norfolk, VA 23503

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