#chestnyc

Are you 50 or older and living with HIV? Are you concerned about your drug or alcohol use? Have you heard about Hunter College's Center for HIV Educational Studies & Training (CHEST)? CHEST was founded in 1996 by Dr. Jeffrey Parsons to conduct research about preventing HIV and about improving the well-being of those living with HIV/AIDS. It's a leading research organization that regularly collaborates with organizations you might spend time at, like the Momentum Project, GMHC, ASC, and the Positive Life Project. Perhaps you met some CHEST staff members at one of these organizations the last time you were there!

We want to tell you about an ongoing study at CHEST called Wellness In Spirituality and Education, otherwise known as Project WISE. WISE is an intervention based research study designed for people living with HIV who are age 50 and older and struggling with substance use (drugs or alcohol). WISE is designed to help decrease substance use, increase HIV medication adherence, and improve general well-being. People will receive up to $260 for their full participation in the study.

If you are interested to see if you might qualify to participate in Project WISE, you can call CHEST at 212 206-7919 or you can click HERE to answer some questions to see if you’re eligible for the study.

By Divpreet Kaur, CHEST media intern. With additional reporting by Joshua Guthals

Oct 11, 2013

This Tuesday evening I had the honor to attend the NY Times “State of OUT Youth” town hall event with other members of CHEST’s staff, Joshua Guthals, Will Mellman, and Vanessa Nasert. Four national GLBT and Ally organizations -- The NY Times GLBT & Allies Network, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Fund (GLSEN), True Colors Fund, and The Trevor Project -- brought the event together at The Times Center to celebrate the stories of GLBT and ally youth and to hold a public discussion on what can be done to insure the safety of LGBT youth.

The event started off with a warm welcome from Marcus Mabry, co-chair of the GLBT & Allies Affinity Network, and Michael Golden, vice chairman of The New York Times Company. Then the stage was given to Cyndi Lauper, the celebrated singer and co-founder of the True Colors Fund. Looking vibrant and at-ease, Cyndi applauded the courage of the young panelists for their work as youth advocates and activists, and for their bravery in sharing their personal stories in front of a large live (and web-based) audience.

CHEST’s survey of MSM who use Grindr in the NYC area found that 10% of men had never received HIV testing in their lifetime.

By Joshua Guthals & Divpreet Kaur, September 16, 2013

HIV testing is an important step in helping people to learn their status and lower risk of transmitting the disease. Testing can lead to early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART), which lowers viral loads, thus extending the lifespan of HIV positive people while simultaneously reducing transmission risk. Because of HIV testing’s critical role in reducing the spread of the disease, Dr. Jeffrey T. Parsons, director of Hunter College’s Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training (CHEST), and his colleagues wanted to explore the HIV testing patterns of men who have sex with men (MSM) surveyed through Grindr, one of the most popular geosocial networking applications for gay and bisexual men.

This week New York City’s Mayoral Candidates (minus Christine Quinn) discussed NYC HIV/AIDS policy at Chelsea's GMHC -- in the midst of a sudden re-eruption of the Weiner sexting scandal

By Joshua Aaron Guthals, with contributions from Will Beischel & Andy Tuck

July 26, 2013

This past Tuesday Hunter College’s Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training (CHEST) co-sponsored a Mayoral Candidate Forum focusing on HIV and AIDS, hosted by the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GHMC). It provided a rare chance for New York citizens to engage in a discourse with political leaders on a topic that deeply impacts thousands of New Yorkers. GMHC was filled to peak capacity, with an additional overflow room added for citizens who couldn’t fit in the main area.

Throughout the two-hour event the mayoral candidates answered questions covering different aspects of HIV/AIDS policy in New York City. (Front-runner Christine Quinn was unable to attend due to a family emergency.) The Forum's questions were put together by GMHC’s Community Advisory Board and members of the audience. Some examples: “How would you respond to the proposed cuts to HIV services? How would you approach budgeting for HIV programs?”

Some relevant points were made by the candidates, such as when Anthony Weiner said that he found the HIV/AIDS Services Administration’s (HASA) policy of mandatory drug testing and drug counseling to be condescending. From Weiner’s perspective, HASA’s clients want help with their substance use, which HASA should view as an opportunity to provide support, not as an obstacle to offering housing aid. Also, many of the candidates stated their concerns about HASA’s policy of requiring impoverished HIV+ residents to pay 50% of the broker’s fee for apartments sourced for them through HASA.

At another point in the forum, numerous candidates voiced that failing to tackle NYC’s continuing HIV/AIDS crisis would have far greater social cost than would improving and expanding current HIV testing, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment services. Frequently they were highly critical of the current mayor’s approach to the funding and policy management of the city's HIV/AIDS-related programs.

It is worth noting, however, that many of the candidates’ answers during the event seemed wildly unrelated to the intended topics. At several points the audience began impatiently chanting “Answer the Question!” and moderator Oriol Gutierrez – the editor-in-chief of POZ Magazine – repeatedly cut off candidates to demand coherent responses, which mostly led to more mumblings and meanderings. Many of the candidates seemed to stubbornly stick to pre-determined talking points (especially around NYC’s “Stop and Frisk” policies and its prohibitively expensive housing costs) rather than responding to whatever question about HIV/AIDS they had been asked.

The large showing by the press at the forum – while certainly welcome – seemed partially due to overflow from an earlier impromptu press conference in GHMC’s front office. That hastily arranged media conference significantly delayed the start of actually scheduled HIV/AIDS Forum, with Weiner and his wife acknowledging to the press that he had continued sexting women over the Internet long after choosing to resign from his position as a U.S. Representative in 2011 due to the scandal. During the press conference at GMHC, Weiner stated that he does not plan to drop out of the mayoral race regardless of the public's reactions to the revelations. (Read more here.)

As a result of the backdrop of continuing scandal, many of Weiner’s responses throughout the night included reference to his personal imperfections and he made multiple pleas for compassion from the audience. Other mayoral candidates made various direct and indirect remarks about the Weiner scandal (as the news began its spread across the national media right in the midst of the HIV/AIDS forum), with one candidate calling is a "sexual psycho-drama". On the plus side, Weiner’s scandal generated vastly more press coverage of the GHMC Forum (and/or led to press that at least passingly referenced the GMHC event because of the timing of Weiner's disclosure) than would likely have occurred otherwise.

Returning now to the somewhat overshadowed HIV/AIDS Forum, perhaps the most heartfelt moments of the Forum itself came when candidates spoke about friends or loved ones who have been impacted by HIV/AIDS. Late activist and former NYC human rights commissioner Dennis deLeon and former State Senator Thomas Duane -- the nation's first openly HIV-positive person elected to office -- were mentioned as inspirations by several candidates. And candidate Adolfo Carrion told of his cousin who overcame a heroin addiction in Carrion’s basement, but not before becoming infected with HIV.

The candidates had also selected responses about their stance on key topics that affect New Yorker’s living with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers, which is available here. (For example, Christine Quinn is the only candidate opposing removal of the aforementioned HASA requirement that clients must seek drug counseling in order to qualify for enhanced rental assistance. And candidate John Liu is the only one who supports reforming New York City police department’s current controversial “stop and frisk” policy.)

As the Forum drew to a close, the press immediately surrounded Weiner as he left the room, leaving the other mayoral candidates -- and the evening's original purpose -- in the wake of their pandemoniac quest for headlines. 

NEW RESEARCH STUDY FOR TRANS WOMEN!!  FORWARD, RE-POST, LIKE, SHARE, ETC!!!

T-Talk – the newest study at Hunter College’s Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training – is a peer-led intervention developed in response to the acute health prevention needs of our community of New York City transgender women.

Are you a Woman of Trans Experience? 

Do you have an active sex life and live in the NYC area?

Worried about your drug use? Interested in sharing about your life in the T-zone?

We’re interested in talking with you!

  The women participating in this study will be compensated for the first study visit, attendance in the intervention sessions, and two follow-up appointments. They will receive up to $205 for their time. Some women will have additional follow-up appointments and may receive up to an additional $115.

  Tell us your story! NO Judgments – Call (212) 206-7919

Or visit our website at http://chestnyc.org/t-talk

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! Calling ALL friends, family members, followers, supporters, (and even frenemies):

On Sunday May 19, the staff of CHEST as well as our family and friends will be joining hundreds of organizations, school and community groups, as well as thousands of individuals at AIDS Walk New York (AWNY)! AWNY is the world’s largest AIDS fundraising event—benefitting GMHC and more than 40 other tri-state area AIDS service organizations.

Last year we successfully raised over $2,500 and with your help, we can take it to the next level this year!!! Our goal this year is $5,000 and we need your support!!

To join our team, donate toward our goal, or simply share some words of encouragement, drop by our team’s fundraising page TODAY:  http://tinyurl.com/chestaidswalk.

Join us in making a difference!

Signed,

The CHESTNYC AIDS Walk Team

CHEST research is Most Shared on Queerty!

Queerty readers have been reading and sharing an article about our newly published research here at The Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training. Queerty article was inspired by our recent Tumblr post about our research on monogamy among gay and bi men. (Note: Our blog post was the most liked and shared article we've ever posted to our Facebook page.)

Click here to read the full article on Queerty:

Film project for young gay/bi men!

We’re looking for young gay and bi men, ages 18 to 24, to share their thoughts on friends and family, community, and relationships. You must be willing to be video recorded. Clips from the videos will be used in an online project designed to promote healthy sex and relationships. Be part of research in a very real way!