Everything You Need To Know for Free Leaders of Color Training

Where: Heart of Florida United Way, 1940 Traylor Blvd., Orlando, FL 32804
When: July 23rd and 24th
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm – Lunch and snack will be provided!
Register: The registration link is HERE. You can also register using the QR code at the bottom.

There are several national HIV community leadership training programs. However, very few focus on People of Color Living with HIV. As a result, NMAC created Building Leaders of Color (BLOC) Training. NMAC is a national non-profit capacity building organization.  The BLOC Training is looking for people of color in Central Florida living with HIV who are dedicated to leading on HIV issues in their communities.

The goal of this free leaders of color training is to educate and empower to create future HIV advocates. That is to say, it will provide people with the skills and knowledge to fully participate in HIV planning at all levels. As a result, it will produce engaged participants on planning bodies, medical and support care teams, boards of directors, and other community efforts.

Ultimately, this free leaders of color training will prepare people to address the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.  The local component is called the 2017-2021 Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan for the Orlando Service Area and the Central Florida HIV Planning Council (CFHPC) is responsible for implementation. Orlando Immunology Center is the only private business that collaborates with CFHPC. We have a dynamic Community Relations Manager, Sam Graper, who serves as Planning Council Chair and spearheads community engagement efforts like this. We’re deeply gratified from the progress made. But it’s not enough. We must continue to educate and fight.

NMAC’s urgency is in the numbers. HIV disproportionally impacts people of color. For example, say the ice cream truck comes and there are 20 homes on your street; 10 (50%) yellow and 10 (50%) green. And it stops ten times. At 8 (80%) of yellow homes and 2 (20%) of the green homes. As a result, the truck stopped at 50% of all of the homes but it visited 80% of the yellow homes and 20% of the green homes. Consequently, the number of stops is not in proportion for the two groups. Most of the green homes went without ice cream – and that’s not fair!

Nationally, Black women are 20 times more likely to get HIV than white women. Fifty percent of black gay men will have HIV by the time they are 35 (eight percent of white gay men are living with HIV). As a result, even with quality HIV services, the outcomes for many black women and gay men of color are awful.

• ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA
  • 41% of all new cases of HIV were among black individuals (1)
  • 65% of new cases of HIV in females were among black individuals (1)
  • 57% of new cases of HIV between the ages of 13-19 were among black individuals (1)
• FLORIDA
  • 46% of those living with HIV are Black while only 17% of the population is African American or black (2)
• NATIONALLY
  • 42% of those living with HIV are Black while only 17% of the population is Black (2)
  • 44% of those who could potentially benefit from Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) were African American, however, just 1% were prescribed PrEP  (3)
  • Of those on PrEP, only 11.2% were African Americans or blacks (4)

Usually, educational training’s are a collaborative effort. For example, the local Ryan White Part A office, the Florida Department of Health, Heart of Florida United Way, NMAC, and The Central Florida HIV Planning Council have all worked together to make this training possible. OIC is dedicated to education and empowerment. So we’re simply helping get the word out. Please join us by sharing with friends and on your social platforms.

Two amazing local individuals will facilitate this training. Firstly, Nicole Elinoff, MPH(c), the Sexual Minority Health Coordinator from the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. Then, the founder of  the Bros in Convo Initiative, Daniel Downer, will be co-facilitating.  Bros in Convo has been nationally recognized for its innovated approach to health education in young men of color.  That is to say, this training will be amazing, fun and dynamic. In short, it could be transformative for both you and Orlando.

Together, we can end HIV!

Sam Graper,
Community Relations Manager, 
Orlando Immunology Center
Proudly Serving Central Florida for Over 20 Years

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1. Florida Department of Health; Florida Health Charts 2017-2013
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV Surveillance Report, 2017; vol. 29. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html. Published November 2018. Accessed February 8th, 2019.
3. The American Journal of Managed Care, Despite Increasing Rates of PrEP Usage, Disparities Remain Among African Americans, Latinos, Jamie Rosenburg, Published March 16th, 2018.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis, by Race and Ethnicity — United States, 2014–2016, Weekly / October 19, 2018 / 67(41);1147–1150.