ARKANSAS MINORITY HEALTH COMMISSION ANNOUNCES SEVEN ORGANIZATIONS AS GRANT RECIPIENTS FOR HIV/AIDS PREVENTION
Wednesday, Jul 29, 2009
LITTLE ROCK, AR The Arkansas Minority Health Commission (AMHC) announces the seven organizations awarded $340,419 in grants to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS in minority communities in Arkansas.
"Our goal is to strengthen organizations across the state by building their capacity to implement HIV prevention and awareness programs," said Patricia Minor, RN Project Manager for the HIV/AIDS Outreach Initiative for the AMHC. African Americans make up only16% of the total population, however, in 2006 African Americans made up 47.1% of the HIV cases in Arkansas. Hispanics demonstrated an increase of 5.3% of HIV cases. Females made up approximately one third (33%) of the HIV cases, which was up from 18.8% during the time period of 1983 to 1998.
The individual programs selected focus on high risk populations in the state that include college students, African American and Hispanic women, the youth, the homeless, rural populations, and the same-sex community.
The grant recipients, amounts of awards and brief program descriptions are as follows:
Alliance on Community Health, Inc. $50,000; Through its Southern Arkansas AIDS Project, gender relevant and culturally sensitive social skills training will be conducted to reduce high risk behavior by heterosexual women. In addition, a community mobilization program will be implemented to reduce unintended pregnancy and HIV.
Arkansas Human Development Corporation $50,000; The goal of this program is to educate the Hispanic population in order to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and screening in an effort to reduce the spread of the disease.
Black Community Developers, Inc. $50,000; Providing HIV prevention education messages to youth and young adults ages 12 to 25 through Play Safe, a program that utilizes visual and performing arts, written words, group presentations, and workshop seminars to enhance awareness. A link to job readiness and life skills will be included in this program.
Brotha’s & Sistah’s, Inc. $50,000; Founded in the early 1990’s to provide prevention education and testing for HIV/AIDS, this organization initially targeted the African American gay and lesbian population. Plans are to distribute literature, implement incentive programs and provide testing to the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender population. Social networks will also be used to disseminate and gather information.
Future Builders, Inc. $40,419; Reduce risky behaviors associated with the transmission of HIV/AIDS of 600 African American homeless individuals in Pulaski County through a program called It’s Your Choice. Services will be delivered at the River City Ministry in North Little Rock, AR, a Day Resource Center for the homeless.
Jefferson Comprehensive Care System, Inc. $50,000; Through its program called SISTAHS, 48 college students from Philander Smith College, Arkansas Baptist College and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will be randomly selected to participate in a class. Sessions are gender specific, culturally relevant and include behavioral skills practice, group discussions, lectures, role-playing, prevention video viewing and take-home exercises.
Tri County Rural Health Network, Inc. $50,000; Community-wide health information summits that focus on HIV/AIDS education will be held for residents of Lee, Monroe, Phillips and St. Francis Counties. The summits will be creatively implemented as a fun day. Residents will receive a listing/directory of HIV/AIDS resources available in Arkansas or within a 100-mile radius.
For more information, call the Arkansas Minority Health Commission at 501.686.2720 or toll-free at 877.264.2826.
The mission of the Arkansas Minority Health Commission is to assure all minority Arkansans access to health care that is equal to the care provided to other citizens of the state and to seek ways to provide education, address, treat, and prevent diseases and conditions that are prevalent among minority populations.
