May 13, 2015

Philadelphia FIGHT Present Its First-Ever End AIDS Conference

EDGE READ TIME: 4 MIN.

Philadelphia FIGHT will present its first-ever "End AIDS Conference" on Monday, June 8, 2015 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 13th and Arch Streets.

The "End AIDS Conference" is an all-day conference that brings together people to discuss the intersection of HIV/AIDS, mass incarceration, and spirituality. The conference is a combination of FIGHT's three signature AEM summits. "By combining our HIV Prevention and Outreach Summit, Beyond the Walls: Prison Health Care and Reentry Summit, and Faith Leaders and Community Summit into one large conference," says Juliet Fink Yates, FIGHT's Director of Education, "we believe we can make a significant impact on the HIV landscape in Philadelphia." Over 1500 people are expected to attend and over 60 workshops will be offered.

The HIV Prevention and Outreach Summit

The Summit explores exciting strategies for preventing HIV and linking those who are positive to life-saving treatment. It will also explore how the HIV epidemic intersects with related issues such as mental health, homelessness, drug use, sex work, and more.

Tracks Include: Getting Personal; Hepatitis C and HIV; HIV and Aging; HIV and Substance Use; Homelessness and Housing; In the Field; Justice and Policy; LGBTQ; PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis); Research and Treatment; Sex Work; Spanish Language; Trauma and HIV; Women; and Youth
Workshops Include: Keeping Up with Hep C: Everything You Need to Know in a Rapidly Changing Landscape; Women & PrEP: What Do We Need for Implementation?; Love Shouldn't Hurt: Intimate Partner Violence and HIV/AIDS; Is HIV Yesterday's News? - Moving HIV Media Coverage from the Back Burner to the Front Page.

Beyond the Walls: Prison Health Care and Reentry Summit

This Summit will explore health and reentry challenges facing individuals who are incarcerated and those returning our communities, including HIV, mental health issues, substance use, housing, employment, mentorship and educational programs.

Tracks Include: Accessing Services for Reentry; Activism and Community Empowerment; Families; Legal; Prison Health: From Corrections to the Community; Youth Workshops Include: How Do We Get Home from Here? A Roadmap to Housing after Reentry; From Home to Cell: Organizing Against Intimate Partner Violence on the Inside; Locked Apart: The Impact of Incarceration on Families; Continuity of HIV Medical Care: Treatment as Prevention (Linkage to Care from Corrections to Community; Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Models for Motivating Youth.

Faith and Community Leaders Summit

This Summit convenes faith and community leaders in Philadelphia for the purpose of confronting HIV/AIDS and equipping these individuals with the tools to promote HIV prevention, testing and linkage to care in their daily work.

Opening Plenary Speakers:

Piper Kerman is the bestselling author of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman's Prison. In the book, she recounts the year that she spent in the Danbury Correctional Facility for a crime she had committed ten years prior. The memoir was adapted into an original Netflix series of the same name.

Everett A. Gillison, Chief of Staff to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, was appointed in 2011. As Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Gillison advised and assisted the Mayor on all policies, planning and initiatives designed to promote public safety and prevent crime.

Julie (JD) Davids is the managing editor of TheBody.com, the web's treasure trove of voices and information on HIV. An outspoken HIV/AIDS activist, she co-founded Philadelphia FIGHT's Project TEACH, an innovative health education program which trains people living with HIV/AIDS to act as peer educators, activists and advocates in underserved communities.

Featured Exhibits:

  • Freed Truths: Short Plays From US Prisons. The plays will be performed by individuals with a history of incarceration.

  • Condom Demonstration Tables with raffle prizes for those who demonstrate they know how to put on a condom correctly.

  • An art collection featuring pieces from incarcerated individuals.

  • Ask an Employment Specialist, where individuals can be linked to employment services.

  • Ask a BenePhilly Specialist, where individuals can apply for public benefits.

  • A pop-up computer lab demonstrating online health and HIV management apps, including the all-digital 2015 AIDS Resource Guide.

  • A portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and a photographic history of the AIDS Timeline.

    AEM 2015 Schedule of Events

  • Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony, Tuesday, June 2, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Independence Visitors Center, 6th & Market Streets.

  • End AIDS 2015 Conference, Monday, June 8, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Pennsylvania Convention Center, 13th and Arch Streets.

  • Gospel Concert featuring J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise. Sunday, June 14, 5 - 8 p.m., Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, 6401 Ogontz Avenue.

  • The Summit Ball: Climbing Our Way to the Top, Saturday, June 20, 7 p.m. - Midnight, University of the Arts, Hamilton Hall, 320 S. Broad Street.

  • Hip Hop for Philly featuring Wale on National HIV Testing Day, Saturday, June 27. For more information, please visitwww.fight.org/hiphop.

  • Community Cookout, Sunday, June 28, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Fairmount Park, Area #2, 33rd Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

    Educational presentations in various communities throughout the city, special events for target populations, and major outreach to encourage all Philadelphians to get tested for HIV also take place during AIDS Education Month. Over 10,000 individuals are directly reached by Philadelphia FIGHT's efforts every June.

    To register for any of the month's events or for more information, please visit www.aidseducationmonth.org or call 215.985.4448 x 200. All AIDS Education Month events are free.

    by EDGE

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