HIV Prevention Service

HIV PREVENTION WITH BME COMMUNITIES IN MANCHESTER

Black Health Agency is undertaking collaborative work with Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) community groups in Manchester to raise awareness of HIV, promote HIV testing; and improve access to sexual health and HIV services for Black & Minority Ethnic communities in Manchester. Activities currently undertaken include:

• Production and dissemination of HIV information materials in appropriate languages
• Delivery of HIV prevention campaigns with BME communities including gay/bisexual men
• Promotion of screening for sexually transmitted infections and HIV testing
• The delivery of outreach awareness sessions focusing on sexual health and HIV prevention to BME community groups
• Skills building sessions to facilitate negotiation of safer sex and proper condom use with an aim to reduce the risk of HIV transmission
• Distribution of HIV information materials, condoms and lubricants to community settings or venues frequented by BME community members. These settings will include among others: BME community groups and organisations, social events, community centres, BME night clubs and pubs, ethnic food shops, internet cafes, hairdressers, barbers, and other business premises where BME people access services and buy products.
• Provision of one-to-one support to BME people living with HIV in Manchester to access health care services, adhere to their treatments and prevent onward transmission of HIV
• Promotion and publicity of sexual health and HIV services in Manchester

Black Health Agency has recently recruited four community outreach staff to deliver the above activities. This project is funded by the Manchester Primary Care Trust (PCT).

Please contact us on 0161 214 3969/3970 or e-mail us at prevention@blackhealthagency.org.uk to have FREE HIV awareness sessions, HIV information materials, condoms and lubricants delivered to your community group or organisation/premises.

HIV PREVENTION WITH AFRICANS IN MANCHESTER AND LEEDS

Community outreach staff at Black Health Agency and Leeds Skyline Service were busy in the summer distributing the “Do It Right” national campaign materials and delivering workshops to African community groups in Manchester and Leeds as part of the National HIV Prevention Programme (NAHIP). The “Kobana Stories” videos played at the workshops have generated debate and raised awareness of about sexual rights, gender, safer sex and HIV prevention issues within African families and communities in England. Staff attend events across the city including the recent refugee week events to distribute HIV information materials to Africans in community settings like African community groups and organisation premises, social events, African night clubs and pubs, community centres, ethnic food shops, internet cafes, hairdressers, barbers, and other business premises where BME people access services and buy products: ethnic food shops, internet cafes, hairdressers, barbers, and other business premises where African people access services and buy products. These activities will improve access to HIV awareness information, safer sex and HIV testing & treatment services in Manchester and Leeds.

Our NAHIP community outreach staff can be contacted at: 0161 232 5386 (Manchester) or 0113 244 9767 (Leeds) or e-mail us on: nahip@blackhealthagency.org.uk