2022 USCHA Impact Report

OCT 8-11, 2022

San Juan, PR

Puerto Rico Convention Center uscha.life

programa/PROGRAM

IMPACT REPORT

#2022uscha

US Conference on HIV AIDS

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 HIV/AIDS (USCHA) is the largest HIV-related gathering in the United States, bringing together thousands of participants from all segments of the HIV epidemic.

This year was the 26th annual USCHA and the first in-person conference since before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. With a theme of “Fighting For Our Lives,” this year’s conference brought together more than 3,200 people in San Juan, Puerto Rico to focus attention on HIV in the Latinx community and the cultural barriers that can hinder effective HIV outreach and care delivery.

USCHA offered more than 150 training sessions at three levels of instruction (beginner, intermediate, and advanced).

Beginner levels were primarily didactic. Intermediate level sessions were didactic and interactive, while advanced level sessions were designed to maximize interaction between attendees and participants.

US Conference on HIV AIDS

HIV in Puerto Rico and Latinx Communities

The 2022 Opening Plenary highlighted HIV in Puerto Rico and Latinx communities with a focus on gay men. To end the HIV epidemic by 2030, NMAC believes our movement needs to not only understand, but also celebrate the cultures of the communities hardest hit by HIV. Latinx Gay men have surpassed White Gay men in the number of new cases of HIV. They are second in numbers only to Black Gay men. This plenary was held in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation. The session gave attendees an immersive experience of the culture, music and food of Puerto Rico.

The San Juan Host Committee presented a reception to welcome USCHA attendees to Puerto Rico. Local music filled the Puerto Rico Convention Center ballroom and terrace as attendees danced and mingled on a beautiful night in San Juan.

Celebrating the Art of La Brega to Help End the HIV Epidemic

“La Brega” loosely translates to “the hustle” or “the struggle.” It speaks to the tenacity and ingenuity that the Puerto Rican people demonstrate when responding to life’s challenges. La Brega expresses a sense of solidarity and pride in the way Puerto Ricans face and overcome adversity. While there have been significant obstacles since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, the community continues to persevere and lead the way toward a better future. Even with the unprecedented challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the HIV community has responded with characteristic determination and innovation. This plenary luncheon celebrated La Brega and the unwavering resolve of the HIV community to help bring about the end of the HIV epidemic.

Love In Gravity

The love we have. The love we give. The love we hold. Love In Gravity is six original stories featuring some of your favorite actors, set everywhere from the halls of a Miami high school to a six train barreling through the Bronx. It’s all about the forces we exert on each other that draw us together and sometimes push us apart. This plenary took attendees on a journey and gave them a glimpse of Love in Gravity; a collection of six original stories from the gay and queer Latinx and Afro-Latinx community. Stories of love, heartbreak, intimacy, and family – the places we can find each other, the places we find ourselves.

The Federal Response to the Emergence of Monkeypox

During this plenary, leaders discussed the federal response and gave recommendations on the role of the HIV Community in the fight against Monkeypox.

• Registered attendees: 3,312

• Exhibitors: 168

• Speakers: 103

• Host Committee: 92

• GLOW: 3

• Youth Scholars: 36

• 50+ Scholars: 48

• Social Media Fellows: 16

• Gay Men of Color Fellows: 5

• SCOTUS: 14

• Scholarships: 156

• Volunteers: 91

NMAC’s 50+ Strong & Healthy Program trains older adults living with HIV and other Long-Term Survivors on how to advocate for themselves and their communities. The program includes a peer health education component, webinars, mini-grants, and social media advocacy campaigns. As in previous years, our program launched at USCHA, where fifty 50+ Scholars from across the U.S. came to Puerto Rico to attend workshops and sessions related to HIV and aging and participate in community-building activities specifically dedicated to them.

NMAC’s Treatment Division partnered with Waves Ahead/SAGE Puerto Rico, Roc4Aging+, The Well Project, The Reunion Project, and the National HIV & Aging Advocacy Network (NHAAN) to organize the HIV 50+ and LongTerm Survivors lounge. In this space, program participants and community members were able to network with peers and engage in meaningful conversation about aging, but also sit back and enjoy a massage, practice meditation, or immerse themselves in the relaxing sounds of music therapy.

In addition to the lounge, NMAC curated a pathway of workshops focused on HIV and aging. Among the topics covered were the experiences of PLWH since birth, campaigns to improve mental health among older LGBTQ+ adults, public policy and advocacy efforts, and issues affecting 50+ individuals in Puerto Rico.

NMAC’s Youth Initiative, sponsored by ViiV Healthcare, recruited 27 young adults (referred to as scholars) between the age of 18-25 from across the United States of America to participate in the 2022 USCHA in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of scholars had never attended USCHA previously. Scholars received a full scholarship to attend USCHA that included round trip airfare, hotel accommodations and a stipend.

While at USCHA, scholars were not only able to attend plenary sessions and workshops, but they also participated in a specialized HIV advocacy and prevention training designed to empower young leaders in the HIV workforce. Among the scholars in the program, 71% are employed at organization that provide HIV education, medical care, or prevention services. This specialized training included topics such as stigma, epidemiology, medical mistrust, social determinants of health and health communication & literacy. After the conference, scholars will receive mini-grants to plan and facilitate their own HIV community projects within their communities related to HIV prevention, treatment or advocacy.

The Gay Men of Color Fellowship, a program developed by NMAC’s Treatment division, provides community members with social media marketing tools to help them develop sciencebased messaging centered on PrEP, PEP, and TasP for MSM. The campaign is designed to reach the members’ networks and provide necessary tools to continue this work after the program ends.

GM OC FELLOWSHIP

GAY MEN OF COLOR FELLOWSHIP BIOMEDICAL HIV PREVENTION

Fellows were able to participate in USCHA to expand their knowledge and leadership in the biomedical HIV prevention field. They supported the dissemination of information by making social media posts about the sessions they attended.

NMAC’s Treatment Division partnered with Waves Ahead/SAGE Puerto Rico, Roc4Aging+, The Well Project, The Reunion Project, and the National HIV & Aging Advocacy Network (NHAAN) to organize the HIV 50+ and LongTerm Survivors lounge. In this space, program participants and community members were able to network with peers and engage in meaningful conversation about aging, but also sit back and enjoy a massage, practice meditation, or immerse themselves in the relaxing sounds of music therapy.

Other lounges offered included the PLWHIV Lounge, the Trans Lounge, and the Youth Lounge.

Each year, 18 Social Media Fellows are selected to attend USCHA. Fellows use their social media skills to help spread the word about HIV prevention, care, and treatment and expand their abilities through interacting with others in the field. Through interaction with peers and other USCHA attendees, the Fellows enhance their skills and their understanding of the epidemic.

Nearly 90 companies, organizations, and providers took part in the USCHA Exhibit Hall, offering attendees an opportunity to learn more about their services.

Institutes are in-depth sessions that focus on the issues of impacted populations and interest groups. This year’s topics included faith, trans issues, monkeypox, housing, substance abuse, and race/ethnicity issues. Institutes are conducted by conference partners and NMAC’s Constituent Advisory Panel members.

Age Range

USCHA showcased over 30 poster presentations, covering the topics such as expanding ART, linkage to care, long-acting injectables and Teen PrEP Marketing campaigns.

*Numbers are representative of USCHA participants that disclosed their demographic information. Does not include entire attendance.

Sexual Orientation/Orientación sexual

Hetero-

sexual Gay

Queer Prefer Not to Disclose Pansexual

Same Gender Loving Amante del mismo género

Two Spirit dos espíritus

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 Prefer

Prefer Not to Disclose

Disclose Pre ero

no

Age Range

HIV Status/Estado del VIH:

*Numbers are representative of USCHA participants that disclosed their demographic information. Does not include entire attendance.

The informa0on provided prior to the conference were useful

Disagree Undecided Agree

The conference staff met my expecta0ons

Disagree Undecided Agree

Overall, I have learned new informa0on at conference

Disagree Undecided Agree 2% 7%

The informa0on offered at conference met my professional needs

91%

Disagree Undecided Agree

As a result of the conference, I feel mo0vated to work for 1 more year to help end the HIV epidemic

Disagree Undecided Agree

As a result of the conference, I feel commiKed for 1 more year to help end the HIV epidemic

Disagree Undecided Agree

Overall, I am sa0sfied the objec0ve of this year's conference were met

Disagree Undecided Agree

The energy! I really appreciate how PR was highlighted throughout the conference. I felt very proud as a Puerto Rican living on the mainland. Care was taken to highlight our culture and history.

OMG! Puerto Rico owes me nothing! The hospitality of the Puerto Rican people was amazing. Everyone was welcoming and had a smile.

La diversidad de temática, de acuerdo al HIV (the diversity, the theme, the agreement on HIV)

The entire conference was absolutely amazing! Far exceeded the expectations of me and my team. Everything seem to run smoothly like a very well oiled machine. There was not a single time that I felt like I was attending a conference where a recent natural disaster had occurred.

The content this year was exceptional. Learned so much and really appreciated how much Puerto Rican history, culture and community was involved in the content of the conference.

I did like the emphasis on Puerto Rico and Latinx populations. For those of us who are English-only speakers, I think the amount of the conference that was in Spanish was an extremely beneficial experience to experience being surrounded by another language and without the ability to always understand what is being said.

No hubo ningun tema que no me gustara (there was no topic I did not like).

A Special Thank You to our Sponsors

who have made significant contributions to the United States Conference on HIV/AIDS.

PRESENTING SPONSOR

PLATINUM SPONSOR

PREMIERE SPONSORS

COLLABORATING SPONSOR

THERA technologies

COLLEAGUE SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSOR

Staff

Executive Office

Paul Kawata, Executive Director

Kim Ferrell, Deputy Director of Operations

Asia Moore, Executive Operations Assistant

Conferences

Tara Barnes-Darby, Director of Conferences

Alison J. McKeithen, Assistant Director

Shanta’ Gray, Sr. Registrar and Meeting Planner

Joi Howard, Exhibits Manager

Communications

Chip Lewis, Director of Communications

Dernell Green, Social Media Coordinator

Board of Directors

Chair

John W. Hill, Jr., Washington, DC

Co-Chair

Lance Toma, San Francisco Community Health Center, San Francisco, CA

Development

Robert York, Director of Development

Diane Ferguson, Development Associate

Finance and Administrative Division

Naveen Rustagi, Director

Ron Dorsey, Consultant

NMAC Training Center to End the Epidemic

Charles Shazor Jr., Acting Director

Terrell Parker, Program Manager

Gabriella Spencer, Program Manager

Lauren Miller, Health Equity Program Coordinator

Cora Trelles Cartagena, HIV Systems Coordinator

Christopher Paisano, Program Coordinator, Indian Country

Marshun Redmond, Executive Assistant

Duante Brown, ELEVATE Program Manager

Treatment

Moisés Agosto-Rosario, Director of Treatment

Damián Cabrera-Candelaria, Program Manager

Jonathan Ayala, Program Coordinator

Government Relations

Joe Huang-Racalto, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Policy

Secretary

Therese Rodriguez, APICHA Community Health Center, New York, NY

Treasurer

Valerie Rochester, Creating Healthier Communities, Alexandria, VA

Board Members

Brenda Hunt

Borderbelt AIDS Resource Team (BART)

Lumberton, NC

Monica Johnson

HEROES - Helping Everyone Receive Ongoing Effective Support

Columbia, LA

Kelsey Louie, MSW, MBA

The Door – A Center of Alternatives

New York, NY

Norm Nickens

San Francisco, CA

Leonardo Ramon Ortega, MD, MPH Shalom Health Care Center, Inc. Indianapolis, IN

Mario Perez County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health Office of AIDS Programs & Policy

Los Angeles, CA

Rev. Ed Sanders

Metropolitan Interdenominational Church

Nashville, TN

Evelyn Ullah

Unique Solutions

Broward County, FL

Rodolfo R. Vega

JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc.

Boston, MA

Carlos E. Rodríguez-Díaz, PhD, MPHE, MCHES DC CFAR

Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University

Washington, DC