We’re very excited to announce that we have been accepted to present our storytelling project HIVoices® at the 2018 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md., Dec. 11-14, 2018.
This is the largest national conference for comprehensive HIV care and treatment providers, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program recipients and stakeholders. It is sponsored and funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB).
The HRSA HAB hosts this conference every two years to deliver program and policy updates, and share innovative models of care. It also provides training and technical assistance to program recipients; federal, national, state and local stakeholders; health care and service delivery providers; and people living with HIV.
HIVoices® will be presented during a special session entitled “Challenging HIV Stigma One Story at a Time.” During the session, the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services will also present their “Etched in Granite” program.
HIVoices® is intended to raise awareness and amplify communication between members of our own community who live daily with HIV and the people in their world who too often aren’t fully aware of the illness’ impact on their lives. In 2016, six persons living with HIV from Northern Kentucky were interviewed about the illness and its personal impact. The interviews were transcribed and molded into a series of monologues. The stories represent the diverse experiences of those who have fully integrated the disease into their lives. The monologues capture a broad range of moods and emotions as they portray the spirit of those living with HIV.
For the past two years, the project has been performed for various community groups, including the Campbell County Library, Miami University and the Infectious Disease clinic staff of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The project is a joint effort between Falcon Theatre, the Northern Kentucky Health Department, the Cincinnati Health Network and AIDS Volunteers of Northern Kentucky.