SEPT 6-9, 2018 I HYATT REGENCY ORLANDO
2018 IMPACT REPORT E R A WE NDO ORL A
U=U
SILENCE=DEATH
THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE ON AIDS 2018usca.org #2018USCA
OPENING NMAC leads with race to urgently fight for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic in America. The United States Conference on AIDS is the largest AIDS-related gathering in the United States, bringing together thousands of participants from all segments of the HIV epidemic. This year was the 22nd anniversary of USCA and the 31st anniversary of NMAC. We celebrated our theme “Fight Back, Fight HIV,� and welcomed over 3,000 people to Orlando, FL to start the planning to end the HIV epidemic in America.
FORMAT USCA offered nearly 300 training sessions at three levels of instruction (introductory, intermediate, and advanced). Introductory levels were primarily didactic. Intermediate level sessions were didactic and interactive, while advanced level sessions were designed to maximize interaction between attendees and participants.
ATTENDEES Registered attendees: 3,199 Sponsors: 48 Exhibitors: 95 Speakers: 504 Host Committee: 25 NMAC Staff & Board: 40 CAPs: 38 Youth Scholars: 32 50+ Scholars: 53 Scholarships: 425 Volunteers: 129 Vendors: 20 Media/Press: 27 Grand Total: 3,199*
50+ LIVING WITH HIV
NMAC was proud to welcome more than 50 2018 HIV 50+ Strong and Healthy Scholars to USCA. The program’s goal is to educate and build leadership among people over 50 living with HIV. Through this program, the selected scholars find/affirm their purpose, expand their scope, and offers the chance to reinvent themselves to become active individuals in their respective communities.
“This experience of USCA 2018? It was the Conference of Conferences: Every detail thought, every need satisfied, The Plenaries unsurpassed. It was extraordinary.” - Miguel Angel Delgado Ramos of Puerto Rico, 50+ Scholar
YOUTH SCHOLARS NMAC and our funders – ViiV Healthcare, and collaborative partner Advocates for Youth - brought 28 Youth Initiative Scholars to USCA. This program empowers young leaders in the HIV community with leadership skills, and improves their HIV and public health literacy to apply within their communities and organizations. “I just finished speaking in front of the board of directors of major organizations throughout the nation about the importance of inclusion and youth involvement! I am so honored to have the opportunity! Thank you for everyone who has believed in me. I wouldn’t be where I am without the support from each and every one of you.” - Jessica Zyrie, BYLOC Youth Scholar
SOCIAL MEDIA FELLOWS Our USCA Social Media Fellowship program chose 17 participants out of more than 150 applicants for this year’s conference. The Fellows worked together to tell stories from USCA on their social media platforms which were shared and distributed by USCA partner FHI 360. “USCA in Orlando, Florida - For me, the overall mood and feeling is that there is still so much work to be done. I’m learning a lot about other communities affected by HIV and I’m meeting and running into familiar faces everywhere I go.” - Jennifer Vaughan, Social Media Fellow
Leadership Institute The federal government shared their outline and timeframe to build a plan to end the HIV epidemic in America to gather input from USCA attendees. To help the community prepare, the Leadership Institute partnered with ACT Now: End AIDS Coalition, AIDS United, NASTAD, NCSD, NMAC, The AIDS Institute, and 30 Executive Directors to convene an all-day meeting. Collectively, we created a community consensus document that organizations signed on to during USCA. The document’s foundation was assembled by AIDS United and informed by a series of community webinars. The Leadership Institute walked participants through this document and sought additional input.
OPENING RECEPTION To kick off the official USCA, NMAC held a special opening reception featuring Ongina of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The USCA host committee succeeded in creating a magical and mystifying world with a touch of Florida throughout.
OPENING PLENARY The Opening Plenary was a celebration of Activism and the Intersection of Movements Fighting for Social Justice. We heard from social justice leaders and advocates for racial health equity: Alicia Garza of #BlackLivesMatter, Abigail Echo-Hawk, Richard L. Zaldivar of the Wall-Las Memorias, Naina Khanna of PWN-USA, and David Hogg of Parkland FL. A stellar performance was given by Thelma Houston.
Parkland shooting survivor and activist David Hogg
Thelma Houston
Abigail Echo-Hawk, Director, Urban Indian Health Institute
Naina Khanna, Executive Director, Positive Women’s Network – USA, and Larry Walker, Thrive SS
Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza
FRIDAY PLENARY Friday was the Gilead Plenary, “Together Ahead: Accelerating Progress to End HIV Through Inclusion,” featuring Gilead’s Diana Oliva, Achim Howard, Maria Roman and Kellan Baker. The plenary addressed transgender inclusion through the use of new paradigms and approaches, seeking solutions to address the needs of the hardest hit communities.
INSTITUTES/CAP Thursday’s Institutes were in part produced by NMAC’s Constituent Advisory Panel members, crafting workshops with focuses on African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Latinx, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Transgender communities. Institutes were also presented on the topics of public policy, Black gay men, youth, patient advocacy, housing, grant-making, faith, the South, and women.
TRANS DELEGATION NMAC was pleased to be able to bring our largest delegation of transgender and gender nonconforming individuals to 2018 USCA, through the sponsorship of Gilead and the coordination of Arianna’s Center, Casa Ruby, and NMAC.
SATURDAY PLENARY Trauma-Informed Care: Aging with HIV and the Trauma of Surviving Saturday’s plenary made the case for trauma-informed care, and focused on long-term survivors over 50 years of age. Speakers included: Eric Dube of ViiV, Barbara Poma of onePULSE Foundation, Dr. Michele Andrask of HVTN Core, Ron Stall of the University of Pittsburgh, L’Orangelis Thomas Negron of GNP+, Ben Schatz of Kinsey Sicks, and Phill Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute.
Long-term survivors
Eric Dube, ViiV Healthcare
Phill Wilson, Executive Director, Black AIDS Institute, and L’Orengelis Thomas Negrón
Barbara Poma, Owner of Pulse
Saturday Plenary continued
Ron Stall, Director of the Center for LGBT Health Research
Ben Schatz, Kinsey Sicks
CLOSING PLENARY 2018 USCA’s closing was a plenary on the Opioid Crisis – Fighting for Our Lives and Our Communities. Larry Kramer wrote: “Unless we fight for our lives, we shall die.” Experts in America’s opioid epidemic and its intersections with HIV, STDs, and hepatitis were: Deon Haywood of Women With a Vision, Robert Suarez of VOCAL-NY, Monique Tula of the Harm Reduction Coalition, Jesse Milan of AIDS United, Megan McLemore of the Human Rights Watch, and Greg Millet of amfAR. The transgender community then honored Paul Kawata, Aryah Lester, and Marissa Miller for transgender inclusion in this year’s conference. Top photo: Panel (L to R): Jesse Milan, Executive Director, AIDS United; Monique Tula; Robert Suarez, Co-Chair, Peer Network of New York; Deon Haywood, Women With A Vision Bottom photo: Megan McLemore, Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch
Dr. Michelle Andrasik, HVTN Core
EXHIBITORS
Nearly 80 companies, organizations, and providers took part in the USCA Exhibit Hall, offering attendees an opportunity to learn more about their services.
ATTENDANCE Ethnicity African-American/ Black
39.3% (766)
Caucasian/White
31.04% (605)
Latinx/Hispanic Asian
17.34% (338)
2.41% (47)
American Indian/ Alaska Native
1.08% (21)
Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
0.46% (9)
Prefer not to disclose 8.36% (163)
ATTENDANCE Sexual Orientation Heterosexual Gay Queer Lesbian Bisexual Same GenderLoving Pansexual Two Spirit Asexual Questioning Prefer not to disclose
52.98% (1,110) 22.72% (476) 3.29% (69) 2.77% (58) 2.29% (48) 1.38% (29) 0,76% (16) 0.29% (6) 0.10% (2) 0.05% (1) 13.37% (280)
ATTENDANCE Gender/Gender Identity Female Male MTF/Trans Woman FTM/Trans Man Gender Queer Gender Non-Conforming Two Spirit Prefer not to disclose
56.49% (1,231) 37.63% (820) 2.25% (49) 0.60% (13) 0.55% (12) 0.46% (10) 0.18% (4) 1.84% (40)
ATTENDANCE Age 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 20-24 65+ Under
28.34% (606) 26.66% (570) 24.09% (515) 13.19% (282) 4.82% (103) 2.71% 58
20
0.19%
4
ATTENDANCE HIV Status Negative 69.7% (1,373) Positive 14.26% (281) Undeclared 13.35% (263) Unknown
2.69% (53)
MOBILE APP PERFORMANCE This year’s mobile app had over 2,000 users logged in, the majority of users using iOS. Over 26,000 users offered contributions, with a total usage time of 146 Thousand minutes. Sessions were viewed over 200,000 times.
QUOTES & AFFIRMATIONS #2018USCA United States Conference On Aids owes me NOTHING! I got to see & be apart of some fantastic panels and booths as well as finally meet or catch up with my phenomenal advocate/activist family. I NOW once again have a different perspective on certain situations or people of ALL backgrounds & if it wasn’t for this conference I don’t think I would have gotten that experience.
- Wanona Thomas, Living In Your Truth
Thank you #2018USCA — this was a great experience! – Sophia Kass, Transgender Law Center
2018 #USCA hosted by The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) has filled my heart with so much gratitude. As a PLWHA, I am honored to be part of such a rich, diverse, and loving community. I couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of you and want to thank you all for my life. – Sean Black, A&U Magazine This was my first time attending USCA and I was absolutely honored and privileged to attend. Coming all the way from Maui, Hawaii and being part NativeHawaiian and a woman, I learned that there was now a designation for our race under the Constituent Advisory Panels (CAPs) for 2018. We, as Hawaiians are no longer lumped into another category but instead have our own panel which is amazing. Now, there are five CAPs; African American, American Indian and Alaskan Native, Asian, Latinx, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. – Christine Kapi’ioho, HIV50+ Scholar
The workshops were geared towards the HIV aging population. NMAC recognized this and not only helped educate the HIV populations attending the conference, but, at the same time were able to educate the medical providers, case managers, and healthcare workers. We were given the tools to go back to our individual communities to help educate them about ongoing issues with the HIV aging population. The workshops brought much needed attention to people isolating and the need to reach out to them and the seriousness to this ongoing issue. There are so many important issues that need attention. Recognition was brought to the aging transgender population as well. – Steven Manning, HIV50+ Scholar
THANK YOU SPONSORS
NMAC BOARD Chair John W. Hill, Jr., Washington, DC Co-Chair Lance Toma, San Francisco Community Health Center, San Francisco, CA Secretary Therese Rodriguez, Asian Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, New York, NY Treasurer Valerie Rochester, AIDS United, Washington, DC
Oscar De La O Bienestar Human Services Los Angeles, CA
Leonardo Ramon Ortega, MD, MPH Shalom Health Care Center, Inc. Indianapolis, IN
Brenda Hunt Borderbelt AIDS Resource Team (BART) Lumberton, NC
Mario Perez County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health Office of AIDS Programs & Policy Los Angeles, CA
Monica Johnson HEROES - Helping Everyone Receive Ongoing Effective Support Columbia, LA Kelsey Louie, MSW, MBA Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) New York, NY Norm Nickens San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System San Francisco, CA
Rev. Ed Sanders Metropolitan Interdenominational Church Nashville, TN Evelyn Ullah Broward County, FL Rodolfo R. Vega JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. Boston, MA Nancy Wilson Honoree Altadena, CA
NMAC STAFF Executive Office Paul Akio Kawata, Executive Director Kim Ferrell, Director of Operations Conferences Tara Barnes-Darby, Director of Conferences Alison J. McKeithen, Conferences Manager Shanta’ Gray, Conferences and Registration Coordinator Aryah Lester, Conferences Coordinator Gabriella Spencer, Program Associate Communications Chip Lewis, Director of Communications Daniel Pino, Communications Strategist Finance and Administrative Division Bis Dhar, Director Ron Dorsey, Consultant Development Robert York, Director of Development Diane Ferguson, Development Associate
Leadership Pipeline Linda H. Scruggs, Acting Director of Leadership Pipeline Charles Shazor Jr., Program Coordinator Marissa Miller, Program Coordinator Capacity Building Tamara J. Combs, Program Manager Robin Kelley, Evaluation Manager Munir Ahmed, Evaluation Specialist Genoa Rucker, Program Coordinator Dustin Baker-Holley, Program Coordinator Navneet Sehdev, Program Coordinator Treatment Moisés Agosto-Rosario, Director of Treatment Matthew Rose, Policy and Advocacy Manager Sable K. Nelson, Policy Analyst Joanna Lopez, Associate Program Manager