Module Category: Health Equity

HIV Testing and Linkage to Care in Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Settings

This toolkit was designed to address the critical need for early detection and timely treatment of HIV in the Emergency Department. Emergency departments serve as a point of contact for many individuals who may not regularly access primary healthcare, making them an ideal setting for HIV screening. By providing standardized protocols and resources, the toolkit aims to increase the uptake of HIV testing, reduce barriers to diagnosis, and facilitate immediate linkage to care. This initiative is essential for improving health outcomes, reducing transmission rates, and ensuring that individuals diagnosed with HIV receive the appropriate treatment and support, ultimately contributing to broader public health goals.

Shifting Perspectives: The Dynamics of Bias in Individuals and Systems

In this course, participants will embark on a journey to uncover the layers of bias that exist within individuals and systems, going beyond surface-level observations to understand the underlying mechanisms at play. Through a combination of theoretical frameworks, real-world examples, and interactive exercises, participants will explore the complexities of implicit and explicit bias and their impact on decision-making, relationships, and societal structures.

Empowering Black Women: Breaking Barriers with PrEP Across the Lifespan

Transgender and gender-diverse people seek preventive health care and health screenings less often than do other people due to a variety of factors including lack of insurance coverage, being refused care, difficulty finding a health care provider with expertise in transgender care or fear of discrimination in a health care setting. This webinar will address the need for accurate comprehensive data on transgender health, as well as how to provide specialized, culturally competent care to transgender individuals in a non-stigmatizing environment.

Faculty

Jasmine Ford LPN, BA, HIV Care Services Clinical Coordinator, VDH

Earline Budd, Non Medical Case Management Specialist, HIPS

Panelists

Sherri Meeks, Whitman-Walker

Tyree Williams, Brothers of Bonds

Kaniya Walker, Heart to Hand

Achim Howard, Trans Men Rising

Kym Gordon, Damien Ministries

La Fé en Acción: Empoderando a las Organizaciones de Fé Hispanas en la Prevención del VIH

En este curso se examinará la importancia y la necesidad de colaborar con grupos y organizaciones religiosas, especialmente en el entorno de la comunidad hispana. Se explorarán los grupos y organizaciones religiosos existentes centrados en la comunidad hispana en el área de Washington.  Se compartirán diversos recursos que servirán de base tanto para el proceso de evaluación personal como para el desarrollo de planes estratégicos de compromiso religioso personales u organizativos.  Al final de la formación, los participantes dispondrán de las herramientas necesarias para establecer relaciones de colaboración efectivas con diversos grupos y organizaciones religiosas con el fin de promover su labor de prevención del VIH.

Equity in Action: Empowering BIPOC Healthcare via Community Engagement and PrEP Advocacy

This webinar will discuss how to promote equity, improve access, and increase retention in HIV prevention and care among BIPOC communities. The faculty will identify barriers and dispel myths relating to PrEP use in BIPOC communities in order to encourage patients’ use of PrEP while emphasizing strategies for fostering a strong patient-provider relationship. Additionally, the faculty will describe innovative healthcare delivery methods and initiatives to improve patients’ knowledge of PrEP and to increase PrEP uptake.

PrEP: Preventing HIV in Women Across the Lifespan

PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV, yet PrEP use among women is very low. Barriers that women face include lack of awareness, negative experiences with providers, lack of confidence that providers know about PrEP, adherence to a PrEP regimen, and negative responses from partners.

This webinar will highlight the importance of engaging women in HIV prevention at each stage of life, including strategies for engagement and barriers to care.

Addressing Stigma and Stigmatizing Language in the Workplace

Stigma is one of the biggest challenges in HIV prevention and care. The negative, often subliminal, impact of stigmatizing language can leave people living with HIV feeling “less-than.” Stigmatization can be eliminated through the combined efforts of clinical and non-clinical staff, the community, and even patients by learning and integrating improved terminology.
This thought-provoking webinar addresses stigmatizing language used when talking about HIV, mental health, and substance use disorders and how this language perpetuates bias in the workplace.