SIGNAL T
Vol. 36 No. 10
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“Skull” and “Japanese Mask” Graphite drawings on paper By Richard Romero See page 8
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SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
August 8, 2014
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
e big sex talk
LB’s PrEP program opens up difficult conversation about HIV risk
CJ Dablo Staff Writer
Truvada is the big pill that forces users to think about their sex lives every day, and through one program offered by the Long Beach’s Health and Human Services Department, it’s free to certain individuals who are at high risk to contract HIV. Last year, Long Beach’s health department announced their demonstration program to offer Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (also known as PrEP) with the medication known as Truvada. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described PrEP as “a way for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day…When someone is exposed to HIV through sex or injection drug use, these medicines can work to keep the virus from establishing a permanent infection.” Long Beach’s program has focused on a particular group of people for their study– men who have sex with men (MSM), and they must test negative for HIV. In the program, they do discuss behaviors that place clients in danger of contracting HIV. Deborah Collins, the director of clinical services for the city’s health department, explained that some of the risky behaviors include sex without condoms, having multiple partners and sharing sex toys. They have focused on recruiting minority participants. The study through Long Beach is part of a collaborative program with UC San Diego, UCLA and the University of Southern California. She acknowledged in a phone interview that providing the Truvada pills might be the draw for high-risk individuals to join the study, but she added that under other circumstances, the department may not see these individuals to help them make informed decisions. The program does stress the use of condoms and offers a comprehensive education about the risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in addition to offering advice about taking the medication itself. “We really stress very strongly the behavioral changes that someone needs to make to reduce their risk of HIV,” Collins said. “It’s not just about the pill. As with any kind of disease like this, it’s not just the pill.” The CDC has reported that Truvada is 92-percent effective when taken daily.
Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
Members of the Long Beach Area Coalition for the Homeless (LBACH) conduct a regular meeting at Goodwill Industries at 800 Pacific Coast Hwy on Wednesday, Aug. 5, touching on various homeless-related issues.
Downtown Long Beach business district and community organizations take steps to reach out to homeless residents
Sean Belk Staff Writer
Community groups and property owners in downtown Long Beach are stepping up to hire outreach specialists in a concerted effort to reduce homelessness. Still, local homeless advocates say that funds for federal housing vouchers, assistance programs and local shelters continue to be stretched thin, and in some cases are no longer available. During its regular meeting at Goodwill Industries at 800 Pacific Coast Hwy on Wednesday, Aug. 6, the Long Beach Area Coalition for the Homeless (LBACH) reported on a number of issues related to the homeless. Last month, for instance, the Downtown Long
Beach Associates (DLBA), which operates on behalf of tenants and commercial and residential property owners within a business-improvement district, announced that it has hired Jose Martinez as a new “outreach specialist” to establish relationships with individuals experiencing homelessness. According to a prepared statement from the DLBA, Martinez, a former outreach worker for Mental Health America of Los Angeles with seven years of expeience in counseling and homeless assistance, began working on July 16 as an employee of Block-By-Block, a contract provider for the DLBA’s Safety Guide program, which provides cleaning and security services in downtown. see HOMELESS page 13
see HIV page 15
‘Peace Walk’ in north LB draws more than 100 participants in response to recent violent crimes
Sean Belk Staff Writer
People of different age groups, ethnic backgrounds and faiths joined forces last week to convey a single message– peace. More than 100 people, including children, adults, faith-based leaders, community advocates, city officials and law-enforcement representatives, assembled in a peaceful protest along Atlantic Avenue in north Long Beach on Thursday, July 31 in response to a string of shootings and violent crimes that have occurred in west and north Long Beach in recent weeks. The event, called a “Peace Walk,” was organized through a collaboration of local nonprofits, including Centro Community Hispanic Association Inc. (C.H.A.) and the newly formed One Long Beach Alliance for Better Communities and Schools. The walk began at 52nd Street and
headed north on Atlantic Avenue, ending at Houghton Park with a “Cultural Friendship Celebration,” which included speeches by community members, cultural performances and information booths. During the march, participants held up colorful, hand-painted signs while walking along the business corridor and chanting “1-2-3, peace on the streets!” as drivers honked their horns. Reached by phone, Jessica Quintana, executive director of Centro C.H.A., told the Signal Tribune that the event was “very successful,” adding that it brought people of different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds together through a message of peace. Quintana said events like the Cultural Friendship Celebration, which converged with the City’s Be S.A.F.E. (Summer Activities in a Friendly Environment) parks program, provides a safe strategy for deterring young peo-
ARE YOUR HEADLIGHTS SEEING 20/20?
ple from becoming involved in criminal activities and ending up in the juvenile-justice system or jail later in life. She said the community should continue partnering with the Long Beach Parks, Recreation & Marine Department to use public spaces, such as parks, to reduce violent crime and promote educational programs for children and young adults. “We know summertime is a peak time for violence,” Quintana said. “We’ve been having high incidents of shootings, and it’s important, as a community, that we create these safe places that are appropriate for families and communities to engage.” Throughout the past two months, there has been a handful of shootings and incidents of violent see WALK page 12
Weekly Weather Forecast Friday
80°
Saturday
80°
Sunday
80°
Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
Local youth participate in a “Peace Walk,” a peaceful protest against recent shootings and violent crime in Long Beach, on Thursday, July 31. The march, organized by local nonprofits, started at 52nd Street and headed north down Atlantic Avenue to Houghton Park.
August 8 through August 12, 2014
Monday
Tuesday
81°
Low clouds, then sunshine
Low clouds, then sunshine
Low clouds, then sunshine
Low clouds, then sunshine
Low clouds, then sunshine
Lo 69°
Lo 68°
Lo 68°
Lo 66°
Lo 66°
80°
This week’s Weekly Weather Forecast sponsored by:
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