Understanding HIV’s impact on LGBTQ community

PFY a safe space for vulnerable populations

Posted

December is HIV/AIDS Awareness Month, and Pride For Youth, a local organization that is affiliated with the Long Island Crisis Center in Bellmore, is doing what it can to educate people in vulnerable communities about the disease, and to operate as a safe haven and outreach center that can get people who are affected by it the support and health care they need.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first reported cases of the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, in June 1981. The virus damages the immune system and interferes with the body’s ability to fight infection and disease. If left undetected or untreated, it causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS.

Today, health care organizations like the CDC know a lot more about HIV, how it is spread, and its progression once it is contracted. Since the virus was first detected, over 80 million people have been infected, and 40 million have died.

While the virus can be treated, and people with it can live long and healthy lives, groups like PFY strive to make sure people know if they are at risk. The organization, which also has a home base in Bellmore, provides access to testing and educational tools not just in December, but all year long.

“Primarily, we are funded through the AIDS Institute,” Tawni Engel, associate director of the Long Island Crisis Center, said, referring to the agency of the New York State Department of Health. “Year round, we’re always doing HIV testing and prevention.

“A lot of our programs actually are focused around educating the community on these things,” Engel said, “because statistically we do see a lot of members of the LGBTQ community at risk for HIV.”

The CDC says that while all Americans are affected by the HIV epidemic, certain populations account for the largest number of infections, including gay and bisexual men, injection drug users, and transgender individuals. Ethnically, African-Americans and Latinos are at greater risk than other groups of people.

PFY offers a lot to the LGBTQ community, including social groups, counseling, and events throughout the year. Engel said that while those activities are part of the group’s mission, teaching those at risk how to be responsible and to take charge of their health is the overarching goal.

On Dec. 1, which was World AIDS Day, PFY hosted a Ruby Red Ball for members of the LGBTQ community ages 18 and older, at the group’s Bellmore location. It’s a fun event with a drag competition, raffles and more. But, Engel added, “At the end of the day, it’s an HIV testing event for prevention and education. We try to make it fun and engaging, but also educational.”

Lauren McCarthy, PFY’s assistant director of prevention services, said that along with HIV, testing for syphilis and hepatitis C is also offered at the organization’s clinic. “There’s a couple ways people can connect with us,” McCarthy explained. “We pretty much have LGBTQ focus groups every day of the week, for different demographics and ages. People can come to social groups, and then we provide sexual health education.

“Either folks come to us in that social setting, or they can come to for individual services,” she added.

Rapid testing is available Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. People can walk in for a test, McCarthy said, or schedule one ahead of time by calling PFY at (516) 679-9000. All screenings for those under 30 are free.

Depending on what someone is being tested for, McCarthy said, results are generated in 15 to 20 minutes. If any test comes back positive, PFY immediately helps that person connect with a medical provider for treatment. A positive HIV result requires a test of confirmation.

“Once we get any confirmed results, we immediately link them into our case management program, where a case manager will work one on one with that person to coordinate care with our providers that we have connections with,” McCarthy said. “It’s a pretty well-rounded service where we’re making sure people do get to those appointments for treatment and care.”

Despite the fact that PFY is an LGBTQ nonprofit, anyone who feels they need a test can go to its clinics. And in addition to testing, PFY also educates those at risk on the use of PrEP and PEP — medications that provide an extra layer of protection before or after sexual activity.

While to some, the AIDS epidemic may seem largely a thing of the past, it’s not, according to the State Department of Health’s Division of Epidemiology. Each year on Nov. 30, the division releases an HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report from the previous year.

The number of new HIV cases in the state has dropped by almost 50 percent in the past decade, according to the report. During the coronavirus pandemic, however, case numbers slowly began to rise, and are up 17 percent on Long Island.

The data shows that testing, intervention and education are still crucially important in vulnerable populations.

“Long Island can seem like such a small place, but yet some folks might not even realize what is going on,” McCarthy said. “We’re here, and we’re here to serve the community.”

, and to operate as a safe haven and outreach center that can get people who are affected by it the support and health care they need.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first reported cases of the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, in June 1981. The virus damages the immune system and interferes with the body’s ability to fight infection and disease. If left undetected or untreated, it causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS.

Today, health care organizations like the CDC know a lot more about HIV, how it is spread, and its progression once it is contracted. Since the virus was first detected, over 80 million people have been infected, and 40 million have died.

While the virus can be treated, and people with it can live long and healthy lives, groups like PFY strive to make sure people know if they are at risk. The organization, which also has a home base in Bellmore, provides access to testing and educational tools not just in December, but all year long.

“Primarily, we are funded through the AIDS Institute,” Tawni Engel, associate director of the Long Island Crisis Center, said, referring to the agency of the New York State Department of Health. “Year round, we’re always doing HIV testing and prevention.

“A lot of our programs actually are focused around educating the community on these things,” Engel said, “because statistically we do see a lot of members of the LGBTQ community at risk for HIV.”

The CDC says that while all Americans are affected by the HIV epidemic, certain populations account for the largest number of infections, including gay and bisexual men, injection drug users, and transgender individuals. Ethnically, African-Americans and Latinos are at greater risk than other groups of people.

PFY offers a lot to the LGBTQ community, including social groups, counseling, and events throughout the year. Engel said that while those activities are part of the group’s mission, teaching those at risk how to be responsible and to take charge of their health is the overarching goal.

On Dec. 1, which was World AIDS Day, PFY hosted a Ruby Red Ball for members of the LGBTQ community ages 18 and older, at the group’s Bellmore location. It’s a fun event with a drag competition, raffles and more. But, Engel added, “At the end of the day, it’s an HIV testing event for prevention and education. We try to make it fun and engaging, but also educational.”

Lauren McCarthy, PFY’s assistant director of prevention services, said that along with HIV, testing for syphilis and hepatitis C is also offered at the organization’s clinic. “There’s a couple ways people can connect with us,” McCarthy explained. “We pretty much have LGBTQ focus groups every day of the week, for different demographics and ages. People can come to social groups, and then we provide sexual health education.

“Either folks come to us in that social setting, or they can come to for individual services,” she added.

Rapid testing is available Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. People can walk in for a test, McCarthy said, or schedule one ahead of time by calling PFY at (516) 679-9000. All screenings for those under 30 are free.

Depending on what someone is being tested for, McCarthy said, results are generated in 15 to 20 minutes. If any test comes back positive, PFY immediately helps that person connect with a medical provider for treatment. A positive HIV result requires a test of confirmation.

“Once we get any confirmed results, we immediately link them into our case management program, where a case manager will work one on one with that person to coordinate care with our providers that we have connections with,” McCarthy said. “It’s a pretty well-rounded service where we’re making sure people do get to those appointments for treatment and care.”

Despite the fact that PFY is an LGBTQ nonprofit, anyone who feels they need a test can go to its clinics. And in addition to testing, PFY also educates those at risk on the use of PrEP and PEP — medications that provide an extra layer of protection before or after sexual activity.

While to some, the AIDS epidemic may seem largely a thing of the past, it’s not, according to the State Department of Health’s Division of Epidemiology. Each year on Nov. 30, the division releases an HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report from the previous year.

The number of new HIV cases in the state has dropped by almost 50 percent in the past decade, according to the report. During the coronavirus pandemic, however, case numbers slowly began to rise, and are up 17 percent on Long Island.

The data shows that testing, intervention and education are still crucially important in vulnerable populations.

“Long Island can seem like such a small place, but yet some folks might not even realize what is going on,” McCarthy said. “We’re here, and we’re here to serve the community.”