Coalition Member Spotlight

HIVS - Hispanos Intersados en una Vida Saludable

Lay Health Advisory HIV/AIDS Prevention

“The HIVS Committee”
Addresses Health Disparities in
Hispanic Communities

A new volunteer committee has been formed to address the disparity in access to HIV testing for Guilford County’s Hispanic/Latino community. Formed from a partnership between the Center For New North Carolinians and the Guilford County Department of Public Health, the HIVS committee (Hispanos Interesados en una Vida Saludable, or in the English translation: Hispanics Interested in a Healthy Life) has been recruiting and training Spanish-speaking volunteers for over a year now, and also provides trainings on a twice-yearly basis for new volunteers.

Scott Trent and Milagros Amaro, both Community Outreach workers from the Guilford County Department of Public Health helped form this committee after they saw the passion and willingness of those that participated in the trainings. The volunteers that are recruited for these trainings consist of persons who are already involved in the community in local churches, outreach programs; or non-profit agencies, as well as lay persons, who have a desire to educate their peers. Our activities include:

• Twice-yearly HIV/STD 101 classes to train new volunteers
• Street outreach and testing in the Hispanic community through health fairs, screening events
• Outreach and testing in bars and clubs
• Expanded testing of Spanish-speaking clients in shelters and substance abuse treatment centers
• Formal and informal information sessions for groups
• Providing access to further training for volunteers

HIVS is already making a big dent in providing greater access to HIV counseling and testing services through partnering with local service providers, including the Health Department, Triad Health Project, and at the recent 2005 3rd Annual Health Fair sponsored by and held at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in collaboration with Moses Cone Hospital and other agencies in Greensboro. At this event, we successfully recruited and tested 17 Hispanic clients. Actually it was the first time that this type of screening was ever done at this Annual Health Fair. As a result of this event, we have been invited to participate in community events sponsored by various agencies and non-profit groups that offer services to the Hispanic
communities.

News of our success have also reached neighboring counties, such as the Lee County Department of Public Health in Sanford where as this past summer we facilitated two Lay Health Advisors training sessions. We have been approached with the possibility of facilitating one at the Forsyth County Department of Public Health in Winston-Salem. HIVS also plans to sponsor its own screening events that will help spread the prevention message.

As our mission states, our goal is to educate the Hispaniccommunity about the prevention of HIV/AIDS and sexually-transmitted diseases, especially now with the rise of the Latino population and their daily interaction with their English-speaking counterparts.

To contact HIVS to organize and facilitate a training session or to participate at a Health screening event, or to inquire about our next training session schedule, please call Milagros Amaro at (336) 641-3796 or Scott Trent at (336) 845-3863.