Watch Melvin Cauthen a 10 year Administrator at Montgomery County’s HIV/STI Services who shares all about hosting its 2nd Annual (we are speaking it into existence) Pride In The Plaza week long Celebration and Sexual Health & Wellness Event! Learn about the End of the HIV Epidemic Initiative in Montgomery County, the aggressive plan to eliminate 75% of HIV Infection by 2025 and 90% by 2030, and how for the last 30 years it was about survival and TODAY it’s about LIVING!
- Montgomery County HIV/STI Services was Federal funded several years ago, then given goals, and responsibilities to develop a plan to address HIV Infection along with 47 other counties, DC, and Puerto Rico. DC, Prince George’s County, and Baltimore City are part of the initiative and the population here and there is transient. They work, play, and visit in all these locations and it is important as partners they all work together.
- The aggressive plan to eliminate HIV Infection includes these steps: ~Get people tested to diagnose newly infected~Treat new people and people who fall out of care ~Prevent with tools like PreP Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis ~Respond to the data collected to the needs of the community
- They changed the Testing form for HIV to meet the needs of the people today. It’s CDC mandated and ask questions about food, rent, or other issues that need to be addressed. They want to be a Health Department that doesn’t tell people how to live or do things, but to respond to how they tell us how they want to live and what they need.
- Sunday, June 26 Pride In The Plaza Festival, 40 vendors, lots of resources, and goodtimes! Come out and show your pride in Veterans Plaza for a fun, all-day festival celebrating LGBTQ+ community, health, well-being and joy! The festival is free for everyone from 12pm-8pm. Check out local LGBTQ+ artists, businesses and supportive nonprofits, get free HIV testing and don’t miss the events. Find out all the details by visiting PrideInThePlaza.com
To learn more about Montgomery County’s HIV/STI Services visit @DoItForYouMC on FaceBook, Instagram or Twitter or MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/HIV