Chicago, IL -
Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) has been awarded $1.5 million grant, $300,000 per year, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to implement a new program called Our Voices Advocating Health (OVAH!).
The new program's objective is to decrease substance abuse and HIV transmission among young African American men who have sex with men, specifically between the ages of 18 and 24, through outreach to more than 550 members of the target population annually (approximately 2,500 total), an evidence-based group level intervention to up to 100 clients annually, HIV testing, and other environmental strategies. OVAH! aims to reduce risky sexual behaviors, provide access to HIV testing and information about HIV to more than 600 people, and increase the quality of life of program participants. TPAN will be collaborating with the Center on Halsted throughout the duration of the program. The program also includes collaborations with local houses that are associated with the ‘ballroom' scene in Chicago, who will help execute a safe sex ball during the program.
"OVAH! will expand our existing prevention and outreach efforts, HIV testing, substance abuse treatment programs, and individual and group level counseling efforts," said Bill Farrand, TPAN's acting executive director. "We are constantly looking for ways to build collaborative relationships with community partners while fulfilling our mission to decrease HIV infection rates. This grant allows us to enhance our relationship with the Center on Halsted and build upon the strong foundation of quality programs that already exist at TPAN."
The Center on Halsted's CEO Modesto "Tico" Valle stated, "Because drug use can often be a catalyst for HIV transmission, this grant is especially important, as it enables us to further integrate our HIV-negative and substance abuse-prevention efforts, increasing their effectiveness. We couldn't ask for a better collaborator than TPAN to embark on this initiative."
The new program's objective is to decrease substance abuse and HIV transmission among young African American men who have sex with men, specifically between the ages of 18 and 24, through outreach to more than 550 members of the target population annually (approximately 2,500 total), an evidence-based group level intervention to up to 100 clients annually, HIV testing, and other environmental strategies. OVAH! aims to reduce risky sexual behaviors, provide access to HIV testing and information about HIV to more than 600 people, and increase the quality of life of program participants. TPAN will be collaborating with the Center on Halsted throughout the duration of the program. The program also includes collaborations with local houses that are associated with the ‘ballroom' scene in Chicago, who will help execute a safe sex ball during the program.
"OVAH! will expand our existing prevention and outreach efforts, HIV testing, substance abuse treatment programs, and individual and group level counseling efforts," said Bill Farrand, TPAN's acting executive director. "We are constantly looking for ways to build collaborative relationships with community partners while fulfilling our mission to decrease HIV infection rates. This grant allows us to enhance our relationship with the Center on Halsted and build upon the strong foundation of quality programs that already exist at TPAN."
The Center on Halsted's CEO Modesto "Tico" Valle stated, "Because drug use can often be a catalyst for HIV transmission, this grant is especially important, as it enables us to further integrate our HIV-negative and substance abuse-prevention efforts, increasing their effectiveness. We couldn't ask for a better collaborator than TPAN to embark on this initiative."
