HYHIL Meeting Minutes - March 9, 2010

HYHIL Meeting Minutes
March 9, 2010; 9:30 AM

Attendees: Drew Needham (HGLHC), Jamie Bassell (HGLHC), Nilda Fernandez (CCMC), Janier Caban (ALN), Karen (ALN), Consuelo (CCMC), Marlyn (Intern @ CCMC), Kurt (Abbott HIV Virology), Danielle Warren-Diaz (CCMC), Myrna (CCMC), Tyrone (CCMC)

Recap of HIP at Hartford Finance and Insurance Academy (HIFA)
• Hartford Finance /Insurance Academy :
o 79 HIV screenings with no positives
o 67 STD screenings with 5 STD positives

• At one point there were 40 students waiting for HIV testing—there were so many students, we ran out of OraSure tests and we ran out of test forms.

• After this particular HIP intervention, two parents with children at the school expressed some concerns. As a result, we will not bring HIP to the Hartford school systems for a while until this is resolved. We will focus on the CREC school base and focus our HIV testing there.

Action Item: Should we add an item to our pre-HIP checklist before we go to do a HIP intervention, ask or remind DPH if the schools send out notification and permission slips?

Healthy Teens Coalition
• An advocacy group that is attempting to mandate inclusive comprehensive sexual education in all schools in CT. HYHIL will connect with the Healthy Teens Coalition to let them know about our data and findings (the “virgin” myth, the STD rates, lack of safer sex knowledge), to further their cause?

HIP Intervention
• It costs $600 to cover the Interactive Theater for each HIP intervention. We have enough funding for 2-3 more presentations at high schools. Nilda is talking with her grant office to see if we can get more funding, seeking funding from Red Ribbon.

Action Item: Suggest to the HIP theater group to address the “virginity” issue that has repeatedly come up among youth: they claim they’re virgins but they have oral sex and anal sex with multiple partners.

Action Item: we will seek funding to do an educational campaign for parents at PTO meetings, similarly to what HYHIL did recently in a Bloomfield PTO meeting. The HIP theater group has a video of their performance, so show a part of their production to parents as a part of a parent education and information campaign.

HYHIL HIP EVENT CALENDAR:
• March 10th: YWCA, the doctor will not be able to speak at Nat’l Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day because of a personal conflict.
• April 6th: maybe Job Corps?
• April 8th: MAYBE – Wilbur Cross HS in New Haven
• April 28th: CREC adults and young adults, 10 am

●Events in the Planning Process
• Polaris Center in East Hartford; the nurse and staff are excited to have HIP there; this is a CREC site.
• Pathways in Manchester: a supervisor there would like the HIP Presentation.
• Maybe for September 2010 HYHIL can get in contact with the school of performing arts and offer a HIP intervention there.



Other Events:
• True Colors Conference: This weekend, Friday & Saturday at UConn in Storrs. Go to Ourtruecolors.org for workshop guides and info. Jamie will bring new reference guides for group
• June 5th: CT Substance Abuse Council (CASAC).
o Hispanic Health Council will be holding an event for women & girls on June 5th
o This event is about being healthy & staying away from drugs & alcohol. They will have food & activities.
o CCMC is involved, Mari & Nilda did a presentation targeting Latinas; they had over 100 women & girls last year.
o Planning meeting is March 18th the CASA office. If you want to volunteer/help out, contact CASAC.
• June 2010: Queer Prom: Jamie will send out an email to HYHIL for volunteers for chaperone sign up & locations
o To do list
 Nilda will try to contact the space @ Hartford Hospital today
 Contact RuPaul to attend/fund our event? DCF dreams come true event; fairy tale conference.
 Ty offered his photography services for the Queer Prom.
• Wednesday March 24th, 2:30 – 6 PM: (event held 3:15-5) [NOTE: THIS WAS POSTPONED UNTIL APRIL 6, 2010] National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
o Event to be held at Salvation Army on Nelson St in North End of Hartford.
o Expecting approximately 35-45 girls and women.
o The event is called Body Beautiful/ Cuerpo Bonito in Spanish.
o We are trying to get goody bags/gift bags for this event, from Victoria’s Secret, etc.
o Salvation Army Learning Center on Nelson St., is willing to supply the food, Community Community Health Centers Association of CT Part D will co-sponsor.
o Still determining if we want to do HIV TESTING at this event. We will need OraSure, paperwork, a private room to do testing in, etc. Karen will speak to Vinny regarding this possibility.

UConn School of Social Work Health Fair (3/3/10): Summary
• Informational brochures & condoms were distributed to both men & women.
• The wheel of choices was used & prizes were given to the winners. The male and female models were used for demonstration.
• Over 30 graduate student received services, everyone that stopped in approached the table. The table was very interactive and attracted a lot of attention.

Action Item: We need outcome numbers. Maybe we should have an aggregate outreach form to use for reporting?

To do list: For Jamie: Send Nilda and Janier the HGLHC outreach aggregate form. We could possibly ask people to do a five-question survey in exchange for a gift bag or other incentives. Or to get a raffle ticket, they must fill out the survey, etc. We will need to keep better track of our events and activities for funding and grant writing purposes.

NEXT HYHIL MEETING: APRIL 12 @ 11 AM @ at 385 Washington Street (Aetna Center/Hart Building).