'Income inequality' or poor?

Lately, I've been thinking about the term 'income inequality.' If you turn on one of the cable news channels, you can't help but hear it. I even looked it up to make sure I truly understood it. What I realized is that 'income inequality' is one of those terms that we use to replace a word or phrase that makes us uncomfortable to talk about. Sort of like using the term 'urban radio' to describe a station that Black people listen to, or using the term 'thug' as a metaphor for the 'n-word.' I believe that when we use the term 'income inequality,' it takes some of the sting out of talking about poor people who have real problems that society is not addressing. 

 

By talking about 'income inequality,' we're acknowledging that it's ok that rich people have money and poor people don't in a way that is not offensive. This isn't entirely a new phenomenon. In the last decade, I've noticed that rather than talk about poverty, there has been a larger and larger focus on helping the middle class and turning a blind eye to the poor.

However, failing to call a spade a spade does everyone a disservice. By failing to talk about poverty, we imply that the poor are disposable and we can throw them away. But it doesn't have to be that way.

If we talk about the struggles of poor people in this country -- no matter how uncomfortable it may be to begin that conversation -- we have to talk about issues such as disparities in incarceration rates, housing challenges, the drug culture and gaps in healthcare coverage.
 

It won't be so easy for us to pretend that everything is right and well with the world if we have to describe conditions that are unfair and life-threatening to an entire segment of our society. We may actually start to feel bad about where we are going as a country.

But then we may actually feel compelled to do something about it.

Sincerely,   A. Toni Young Community Education Group

ROAD TO AIDS 2012 Report Complete

Community Education Group (CEG) has released the final report for ROAD TO AIDS 2012, a joint effort between CEG, the Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services (UCHAPS) and the International AIDS Society (IAS).  The tour, funded by a grant from the Merck Company Foundation, sought community feedback in 17 cities to define the state of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic.  While each city had its unique concerns, some issues, such as stigma, were common to all. To read the full report, clickhere. 

What I've Been Thinking...

The International AIDS Conference has come and it’s gone. 

It was as intense as I thought it would be. Yet, organizationally Community Education Group had some unique opportunities including a visit from U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. 

We were particularly honored when Secretary Sebelius mentioned our program during her remarks in the Conference’s Opening Session. It is always a good feeling to know that your work is making a difference in the community.

But despite the public recognition, I’ve been thinking that when it comes to linkage to care, we could do so much more. It’s true that CEG has experienced tremendous success, linking 95 percent of clients who test positive to care. But we must do more to apply this model of success to other health disparities.

It’s time that HIV/AIDS organizations -- specifically those that are non-clinical providers -- really begin to think about how we can serve the whole person and the whole community. The end of the epidemic is in sight, but it certainly isn’t here. Yet we have some very unique skillsets, tools and access to communities to be able to do more with regard to other health disparities, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. While we’re routinizing HIV testing, we can also make sure people know their HDL and LDL cholesterol levels.  Likewise, if we know that smoking contributes to heart disease, we can link members of the community to smoking cessation programs and help to reduce community incidences of heart failure.

At AIDS 2012, we celebrated how far we’ve come in the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS. And yes, we are closer to the end of the epidemic than we’ve ever been before.

But now that we know better, we must do better. 

Sincerely,

A. Toni Young

Executive Director

Community Education Group

Job Openings at CEG

Community Education Group is looking for candidates to fill the following full-time positions:

Strategic Operations Coordinator: The ideal candidate will provide guidance to senior program staff with the goal of maximizing the productivity of its core programs. He or she will analyze current processes, develop strategies for process improvements, and implement interim and long-term solutions in the areas of program implementation and evaluation. Most importantly this person will move CEG further along in its transition from an organization that tracks mostly outputs to a more outcome-based framework. The successful candidate will have the ability to take outcome summaries from the program evaluator and effectively package and market them to current and potential funders. This position presents a unique opportunity for an experienced program manager to increase the efficacy of an innovative AIDS service organization that is implementing cutting edge solutions in the fight against HIV and other health disparities.

To Apply: Submit a cover letter, resume, salary history and writing sample to lynn@communityeducationgroup.org.

Assistant Manager of Programs and Evaluation

This candidate will provide program management and evaluation services for various initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities.  The Assistant Manager of Programs and Evaluation position provides a unique opportunity to implement innovative strategies in the areas of health education and patient navigation while making a difference in the lives of South East DC residents.  This position will report to the Executive Director and Manager of Testing and Field Operations.

To Apply, submit a cover letter, resume and writing sample to Lavietra@communityeducationgroup.org .   Please put Assistant Manager of Programs and Evaluation Position in the subject line of your email.

Development Specialist

CEG is looking for someone to research, identify and define funding sources to support existing and planned program activities. This candidate will also prepare proposals and grant applications in response to solicitations in accordance with CEG’s preferences and guidelines; prepare supporting documents for proposals and grant applications in accordance with CEG’s preferences and guidelines; and establish clear timelines for the completion of all proposals and grant applications. Other responsibilities include producing technical grant proposals within discrete timeframes in accordance with CEG’s preferences and guidelines; designing graphs, charts, and visuals to illustrate key concepts; and developing workable implementation plans for proposals and grant applications.

To Apply: Please forward a cover letter, resume, salary requirement and one-page writing sample to LaVietra Shannon at lavietra@communityeducationgroup.org. Please put “Development Specialist Position” in the subject line of your email.

2012 Final Report: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Each year, joined by many community team members, it has been a great honor working with you to commemorate National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This March marked the 5^th year that Community Education Group, Inc. (CEG) developed campaign materials and themes for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, an effort supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health. The year proved to be a successful year as CEG, along with you, our community partners, exceeded each of our deliverables on the contract.

Among the successes of this year’s campaign were:

• The development of posters in both English and Spanish for the first time.
• A collaboration with the Greater than AIDS campaign, the National Latino AIDS Action Network and others. 
• The creation of an alliance of 527 community partners from 48 states, all doing their part to ensure that the National HIV/AIDS Strategy lives up to its goals of reducing HIV incidence, increasing access to care and reducing HIV-related health disparities.

From Columbia, South Carolina to Seattle, Washington, there are many more stories of lives that were transformed as a result of this year’s National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day events. In the pages that follow, you can read more of the highlights from functions across the country. A total of 44,995 pieces of campaign materials and giveaways were distributed at various events, including 83 copies of the DVD produced by Gilead Sciences entitled “Many Women One Voice –The African-American Woman and HIV.”  

This campaign would not have been a success without all of our community partners and the many people, organizations, government agencies and corporations who provided support. With the relationships forged and strengthened in the planning of this year’s National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we have built a network that together can reach even more people and change more lives in 2013 and beyond. 

As we stand at a crucial point in the fight to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it is not too soon to begin building upon this year’s successes. As you are well aware, each year CEG competes for the contract for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. To ensure that next year’s observance benefits from the foundation that we have constructed together, we are asking all of our community partners to contact Dr. Nancy Lee, Director of the Office on Women’s Health, to share with Dr. Lee your support for CEG’s continued role in the planning and implementation of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. We ask that you let Dr. Lee know how this event has made a difference in your community, and end the letter by saying that you would like to work with CEG again next year to build upon all that we accomplished together in 2012.  Dr. Lee’s email address is Nancy.Lee@hhs.gov.

Thank you to everyone who made National HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2012 a success. I look forward to creating more deciding moments with you in the future, and I truly appreciate your support in making this possible. The goal is to end the epidemic. 

Sincerely,

A. Toni Young, Executive Director
Community Education Group

Download 2012 Final Report: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day here

Actress Vanessa Williams Joins Advocates for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10th

On March 10th, advocates and officials across the country will be joined by actress Vanessa Williams to take a stand against HIV/AIDS during National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD).

Thirty years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the disease continues to wield massive influence over the lives of women: HIV/AIDS affects nearly 280,000 women in the United States, a woman is infected with HIV every 47 minutes, and research shows that women living with HIV often face gaps in access to care.

The public awareness campaign, designed to increase understanding of prevention and treatment efforts, features actress Vanessa Williams as the national spokesperson. Her role comes during the run-up to a national tour of her one-woman show “Feet on the Ceiling," featuring stories of sexual revelations for women, the pursuit of love, and the consequences of risky sexual behavior.

"I am honored and humbled to join my sisters in the Hollywood community in adding our voices to the fight against HIV/AIDS. We have all been touched by this awful disease. We are painfully aware that for women in general and particularly black women, every moment is a deciding moment," said Vanessa Williams, 2012 National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day spokesperson and board member of the Black AIDS Institute.

With events in more than 80 cities across the country, this year’s campaign also includes the dissemination 10,000 posters providing information about HIV/AIDS in English, and another 5,000 will be produced in Spanish, a first for NWGHAAD.

The collaboration to produce NWGHAAD features an impressive number of participants, including Community Education Group, The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office on Women’s Health, The Black AIDS Institute, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Greater Than AIDS campaign, and the National Latino AIDS Action Network.

“Women across the country are waking up to the fact that they cannot take their health for granted,” said A. Toni Young, Executive Director of Community Education Group. “With that empowerment comes the strength to make healthy choices for one’s self, family, and community. We’re proud of this collaboration that informs, but also empowers women and girls to know that they are greater than AIDS, no matter what the statistics say.”

“HIV isn’t what it was 30 years ago. We have the power to end it,” said Tina Hoff, Senior Vice President and Director, Health Communication and Media Partnerships, Kaiser Family Foundation, which provides strategic guidance and day-to-day management for Greater Than AIDS. “This campaign can leverage the resources of the public and private sector to connect those most in need with information and services.”

Learn more at nwghaad.org.

About NWGHAAD
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is an annual nationwide observance of HIV/AIDS’ impact on women and girls. Each year, the Office on Women’s Health works with organizations across the country to create opportunities for women and girls to learn about HIV prevention, the importance of HIV testing and how those living with HIV/AIDS can better manage the disease.

About Community Education Group
Founded in 1993 as the National Women and HIV/AIDS Project (NWAP), the Community Education Group (CEG) seeks to stop the spread of HIV and eliminate health disparities by training community health workers, and educating and testing the hard-to-reach population. CEG also regularly shares its expertise with other organizations through national networks and local capacity building efforts. Today, CEG operates eight mobile testing units in Wards 7 and 8 in the District of Columbia and conducts HIV counseling and testing while linking clients to care.

About Greater Than AIDS
Greater Than AIDS is a national media campaign that seeks to increase the public’s knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS and reduce the stigma surrounding it. With the Kaiser Family Foundation providing the strategic direction and day-to-day management of the campaign and the Black AIDS Institute providing leadership and technical assistance, the campaign is particularly focused on the severe and disproportionate epidemic among Black Americans.

About the Office on Women’s Health
Since 1991, The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) has been improving the health of American women by advancing and coordinating a comprehensive women’s health agenda throughout the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Both health care prevention and service delivery have been critical components of the OWH’s work, and it has created programs and disseminated health information in an effort to develop and impact national health policy as it relates to women and girls.

About the National Latino AIDS Action Network
The National Latino AIDS Action Network (NLAAN) mobilizes, educates, and advocates on national, state and local levels to prevent HIV infection, increase access to care and treatment, and inform research efforts that address the needs of diverse Latino communities.

Sign on to Keep the Momentum of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy

We invite your organization to endorse the sign on statement below. One year into the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the statement reaffirms support for the goals of the Strategy and lays out some principles we think are important to success. If your organization would like to endorse this statement, please contact Kate at kate.goertzen@amfar.org

Keep the Momentum of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) has become a catalyst for progressive change that has already begun to improve the United States' approach to ending our HIV epidemic. We strongly support NHAS goals to lower the rate of new HIV infections, improve access to care and care outcomes, and reduce health disparities in the epidemic. People across the country are responding to the Strategy's vision of a more effective, equitable and outcomes-oriented response to AIDS.

Achieving the NHAS goals will require that all of us take a fresh look at how resources are allocated and the kinds of services supported, and make difficult decisions about future efforts. It will take concerted action by federal, state, and local government, health care providers, community organizations, the private sector, and people living with and affected by HIV. We must develop a response to AIDS that does better at addressing the challenges where they are most acute, but that also improves outcomes for every group affected by the epidemic no matter where they reside.

We are at a pivotal moment in tackling the domestic epidemic. New research demonstrating the HIV prevention impact of AIDS treatment provides additional reasons to coordinate services and bring to scale our efforts, and emboldens our belief that we can achieve dramatic progress against the epidemic.

To take advantage of this opportunity, and to sustain the momentum in achieving NHAS goals, the following principles are essential:

· Increased resources are needed, and we also must do better to ensure that current resources are used for maximum impact.

· All those who need AIDS treatment must have access. The AIDS Drug Assistance Program must be fully funded.

· Federal agencies need to become more outcomes-oriented and reduce the burden on local and state agencies by streamlining reporting requirements and funding streams, and demonstrating true cross-agency collaboration.

· A new model of integrated service provision is critical to success, emphasizing the connections between testing, prevention, linkage to care and treatment, and seeking community-level results and measurable outcomes. This model must include addressing unmet needs for housing and substance abuse and mental health services.

· Tools for evidence-based decision making, such as economic modeling and creative use of surveillance data that maintains confidentiality can increase the impact of our efforts.

· The "12 Cities" initiative can improve outcomes in epicenters, be a driver of health services reform, and develop adaptable models to be used elsewhere, but success requires ongoing funding, and increased coordination and accountability at the local, state and federal levels. Additional attention is also needed in areas outside of these 12 cities, including those experiencing alarming growth in HIV incidence.

· The NHAS is strengthened by authentic community engagement, and this engagement requires transparency about 12 Cities and other local and state strategies and plans.

· Recipients of federal funds must be held accountable for dedicating resources to geographic areas and communities according to their epidemic profile.

· Health departments, community organizations, and private providers need advanced levels of technical support to transition to integrated models of prevention and care service provision and community-level interventions.

We ask federal agencies to embrace and take action consistent with the principles above. We also know that the success of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy depends on all of us. Policy makers, people on the front lines, and everyone engaged, must work together, reassess how we can have the greatest impact, and rededicate ourselves toending AIDS in America.

Is there a vaccine for HIV? No, but there could be with your help...

As a NHVREI Network member, we understand the critical role that HIV vaccine development plays in reducing the spread of the epidemic and to ultimately prevent new infections. Our work, as our name suggests, is focused on the community-wide response to the epidemic and we understand, and public health history has shown, that a vaccine will likely be the most powerful tool to use against the spread of the virus. We hope to increase our community’s literacy and exposure to HIV vaccine research through updating our current literature on the topic.

Download the pocket sized vaccine brochure HERE

CEG Recognizes National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

“Why observe National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day? HIV/AIDS is a serious public health issue affecting nearly 280,000 women in the United States. While men account for most HIV/AIDS cases, the impact on women is growing. In addition, research shows that, when compared to men, women face gaps in access and care.” (http://www.womenshealth.gov/nwghaad/about/)

As today marks the recognition of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Community Education Group observes the day in part with its annual fundraising event to support the organization’s initiatives to raise awareness of its impact on women and girls. “It’s Time for Action” Bingo Night will raise much needed funds to support CEG’s women’s programs including CHAMPS and SISTA.

The SISTA program at CEG is a CDC approved intervention that is for black women. It is a HIV prevention program talking about general HIV knowledge, condom use and negotiation skills, assertive communication skills, and gender/ethnic pride discussions. CEG currently sees 40 women a year in their SISTA program.

CEG’s “CHAMPS” training program recruits, trains and hires individuals to conduct HIV counseling testing and outreach services. CHAMPS are enrolled in 375 classroom training program and field practicum hours. Participants in the CHAMPS training program receive training in HIV certification and Outreach methods, as well as training in several HIV prevention interventions. Through the CHAMPS program Community Education Group seeks to create both employment opportunities and to increase the number of new voices in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

For more information about National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and “It’s Time for Action” Bingo Night or CEG’s initiatives please go to:

http://www.womenshealth.gov/nwghaad/index.cfm

http://cegbingo.eventbrite.com/

http://communityeducationgroup.org/index.php/about_ceg

Join Community Education Group for "It's Time for Action" Bingo Night

Thursday, March 10, 2011
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
American Legion - Post 8 Event Hall
224 D Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
http://cegbingo.eventbrite.com/

Join Community Education Group (CEG) for a fun night of bingo, BBQ and prizes. Come mix with supporters, mingle with CEG staff and meet our celebrity bingo callers!

Every year on March 10th, CEG and our Founder, A. Toni Young, lead a nationwide effort to spread the word about the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. Help us build awareness and raise much needed funds for CEG’s women’s programs including CHAMPS and SISTA.

Bingo Night Details
• Event starts at 7:00pm and ends at 10:00pm
• Bingo will begin promptly at 7:15pm
• Limited on street parking is available
• Metro is strongly encouraged. The American Legion - Post 8 Event Hall is a three block walk from the Capitol South station (Blue/Orange lines).
• Cash bar
• Note: For the convenience and efficiency of online purchase, tickets will have surcharges for service fees.

It’s Time for Action Right Here at Home!

Meet the Staff Series at CEG-Hilary Viens

Hilary Viens – Director of Programs and Operations

Hilary Viens is the next staff member to be highlighted. Viens, like her colleagues in her office, is clearly passionate about the work she does in the DC community. Before beginning the interview, Viens wanted to express her sentiment toward CEG this way:

“The staff of Community Education Group is an amazing team, capable of making significant changes in the Wards 7 and 8 communities, with an unparalleled amount of dedication and commitment to their community. The transformations I have witnessed in staff have been profound and will forever change who I am.”

Viens has served at CEG since July 2007. She is currently the Manager of Programs and Operations. She is responsible for the daily oversight of CEG. She cites her tasks as managing all federal and foundation grants, securing funding to implement programming through Toni's vision, and supervising the Manager of Testing and Field Operations, Program Associate, and Linkage team.

When asked to consider the impact she would like to make with CEG she cited her desire for her work with CEG “to help create community level change and draw attention to an area of the city that is in significant need of resources and support.” Furthermore Viens was asked to describe two of her greatest accomplishments. “Personally, I believe being able to integrate and become part of the CEG family has been a huge accomplishment. I am a white woman among a predominantly Black staff that serves the Black community, a community I was not raised in, but have developed strong connections to. Professionally, I think my greatest accomplishment relates to being able to secure funding for CEG to implement innovative and effective programs around HIV and other health disparities in Wards 7 and 8.”

Viens states that she stands out from others by “having a soft exterior and a hard interior. I feel like I am a bridge between "the big picture" and the implementation of services at CEG.”

In her free time, Viens enjoys photography, children, her dog scout, knitting, and indie and hip-hop music. And finally, she feels strongly about enjoying her peanut butter “SMOOTH.”

Meet the Staff at CEG Series- Kehinde Hall

Kehinde Hall – Community Liaison

The first thing you notice when meeting Kehinde Hall is his big smile. He is truly an amazing person who has really turned his life around and has inspired the community he works with. Hall through his great energy and personality makes a positive impact with CEG to help fight the battle against HIV/AIDS.

1. What is your role at CEG?

My role here at CEG is community liaison. I have been here for 2 years. Basically, I recruit and establish relationships with various barber shops, beauty salons, and nonprofit community based organizations (CBO) so CEG can distribute condoms there. Also, I make relationships at various venues and sites for testing events. Lot of the places I work with is located in ward 7 and 8 where there is a high rate of HIV. Being from ward 7, I know lot of the people there so it’s much easier to establish relationships with the community since they are comfortable with me already.

2. What do you hope to achieve at CEG?

I hope to bring more awareness to the community about HIV prevention. Also, to break down the barriers and the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. I think it’s also important for people to get tested and know their status and for people to wear condoms.

3. Tell me your greatest accomplishment as it relates to CEG or otherwise?

The transition from a criminal lifestyle to being an upstanding citizen!

4. What made you choose this work at CEG?

I got with CEG because of a good friend I knew here that got me the job. Once I started here, I ended up liking the job because I was giving back to the community that I once took from. It makes me feel better about who I am and what I represent.

5. What makes you stand out from others?

I’m a left hander! Also, I’m not afraid of a challenge. If someone thinks I can’t do something or if it’s too difficult, I always welcome the challenge.

6. What are your hobbies?

Watching football, the Redskins are my team. I also enjoy swimming and all types of exercise.

7. How do you like your peanut butter smooth or chunky?

Chunky!

Meet the Staff at CEG Series- Terrence Young

Terrence Young - Manager of Testing and Field Operations

After sitting down with Terrance Young it was easy to see within minutes that he loves what he does and makes a huge impact in the lives of so many. He is very passionate and dedicated toward his work.

Young has been with Community Education Group for six years as the Manager of Testing and Field Operations. He described his role this way:

“I coordinate all testing outreach activities, establish relationships with linkage providers and coordinate testing events”.

Young has experienced many of the successes CEG has had over the years. He describes his own achievements with aspiration to continue to make an impact in the city.

“I hope to develop and implement programs that affect the many health and social disparities that affect community members in Wards 7 and 8 of the District in a positive way and increase the quality of life of individuals living with and affected by HIV and other disparities that disproportionately affect African Americans.”

However he states that his greatest personal accomplishment was “turning my life around and becoming a contributing member of society and being a father to my son”.

With such capacity to be an agent of change Young cites that CEG chose him and he “grew to love the opportunity to give back to the community that he was raised in a productive fashion”.

As far as standing out from others, Young describes himself as a leader. He goes on to say that “I don’t have a problem expressing myself even when I am not in the majority”. This is truly important as he finds that he is often in a position to come to the aid of others by spreading knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention.

In his leisure time, Young enjoys “anything related to sports”. His favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys. Young is also very athletic having played basketball, football, and baseball. “I’m super competitive in anything”.

Finally for fun I asked how do you like your peanut butter and his response was “all the way chunky”.

Meet the Staff at CEG Series - J'Mia Edwards

J'Mia Edwards - HIV counselor and tester

When first meeting J’Mia Edwards you see her as someone who is very bubbly, full of personality and laughter. By the end of the interview though, you learn that she is someone who is also deeply passionate and committed to the HIV work she does here at CEG. J'Mia was also featured in "The Other City" documentary, check it out if you have not seen it yet!

1. What is your role at CEG?

My role at CEG is being a HIV counselor and tester. I conduct field and venue based testing to individuals who reside in ward 7 and 8 of DC. I also conduct HIV 101 sessions and female condom demonstrations.

2. What do you hope to achieve at CEG?

I hope to achieve educating community members about HIV awareness and learning how to prevent people from getting infected with STDs or HIV.

3. Tell me your greatest accomplishment as it relates to CEG or otherwise?

My greatest accomplishment with CEG is I have learned how to listen from both sides meaning the corporate side and field side- field side meaning the clients that we work with at CEG. Also, another accomplishment is I learned how the system is set up like how the funding goes, how it is divided up, and how much the client gets.
Outside of CEG my greatest accomplishment, I was featured in “The Other City”.

4. What makes you stand out from others?

What makes me stand out from others is that before I became a tester/counselor, I was a client going through some of the same issues our clients at CEG now go through. So I can really relate with the people that I interact with in some aspects like homelessness, poverty, the need for food, single parent homes, and the lack of education.

5. What are your hobbies?

Reading and spending time with my kids.

6. How do you like your peanut butter smooth or chunky?

SMOOOTH, it’s the best!

Meet the Staff at CEG Series- Ronnie Neamo

Ronnie Neamo – HIV Outreach Tester

The next member of our staff to be highlighted will be Ronnie Neamo. Neamo has been with CEG for almost two years. He serves as one of the HIV testers/counselors. He cites that he tests up to 100 to 140 people per month throughout wards 7 and 8. Neamo also exclaims that he feels a strong desire to reach people from all walks in order to better inform people about protection and resources.

Neamo is quite passionate about his desire to increase awareness concerning HIV in the District of Columbia. He hopes to contribute to increasing awareness saying, “By not only screening for the virus but educating any and every person I come into contact with when it comes to prevention”.

It is clear that Neamo demonstrates great passion and dedication for his role at CEG. He explains that his greatest accomplishment was, “My decision to enter this field of work, and I say that because that was the day that I decided to really put others before me and to make a difference in my community”.

A native of Roanoke, VA, Neamo declares that he stands out from others in a way that gives him a greater perspective, his travels and experience with diverse groups has prepared him to be more relatable to others.

“I believe that by me not being from the District of Columbia but still being able to go into some of the most dangerous sections of the city and offer HIV prevention among other services to our clients without incident, and to actually be embraced by these individuals is what makes me stand out”.

In his spare time, Neamo enjoys playing chess, and motivating others to “step their game up when it comes to life”.

Finally, for fun, Neamo prefers his peanut butter ‘smooooth’.

Meet the Staff at CEG Series- Toni Young

In the upcoming weeks, you will learn more about the staff of Community Education Group. Seven people will be highlighted including our Executive Director, the Manager of Testing and Field Operations, and several other positions of support that make CEG such a dynamic community resource.

Toni Young – Founder and Executive Director

When first approaching Toni Young, it is very intimidating. She has a demeanor about her that is strong, tough, and ready to fight to get where her organization is today. She founded her organization in 1992 under the title of “the National Women HIV/AIDS Project” and was later changed in 1996 to CEG. However, during the interview I noticed how loving and giving Young is as a person, leader, creator, and director of CEG. With a great sense of humor and love for her staff, she has really come a long way with CEG. I guess Young was right after all, she really isn’t mean as people think she is.

1. What is your role at CEG?

I am the founder and executive director of CEG. My major role at CEG is to have a constant vision for the organization and to provide resources for the staff so they can do their work properly- meaning I need to have the right people and money to implement these services.

2. What do you hope to achieve at CEG?

I hope to have a community level impact. In order to do this, I have to hire and have staff that is willing to grow to have a passion for HIV/AIDS and community service. This way they will be able to really impact the lives of people with HIV or people at risk for HIV/AIDS. Lastly, I hope for CEG to become synonymous with good hard work.

3. Tell me your greatest accomplishment as it relates to CEG or otherwise?

Finding CEG in 1993 and now in 2010 to still be here on target and doing better than ever.

4. What makes you stand out from others?

[Laughs] Now that’s a question you should ask others…

Herman Williams (HIV outreach tester), “I’ve known her [Toni] since July 2008. In comparison to other bosses she supports us from a distance. She watches without you necessarily knowing it. She always knows where you are in your work and she shows her appreciation through things like taking us out to nice dinners. Toni is always willing to share the credit and I always get ‘good vibes’ from her. She is not an untouchable boss.”

5. What are your hobbies?

Playing with Benny, my big fat dog and my cat, Kozmo. I love to travel - one of my favorite places is Rwanda. I love kids and to work for social change.

6. How do you like your peanut butter smooth or chunky?

It depends. For a peanut butter and GRAPE jelly sandwich, definitely chunky peanut butter. But for a Reese’s peanut butter cup, it definitely has to be smooth.

The Other City

A film about the DC where we work and the epidemic we're trying to stop, The Other City captures the lives and stories of people with HIV and the service providers who help them.  From the description on the films website:

“The Other City” introduces us to the people who live in the shadow of the Capitol but remain almost invisible to the lawmakers and lobbyists who live there. It’s about politics and ideology, corruption and bureaucracy, and an epidemic that grew out of control while few people paid any attention or cared.

Our own J'Mia Edwards is featured in the film, telling her story of how she lived with her diagnosis and became an activist to fight for fair housing for herself and her children.  Her story of strength is an inspiration to all of us, every day.

You can see the film in DC this weekend, September 18th at The E St Cinema - buy your tickets here!

An astounding film, I can't wait to see it myself.  Check out the trailer below -

Navigating the Web for Your Health!

Last month Community Education Group implemented a training program, to provide anyone the skills they need to navigating the web and find accurate, useful health information. Below we've included our Health Tutorial, developed as part of the program and one we hope you will find helpful. Knowledge is power and the internet is a fantastic resource to help us all find more.

Navigating the Web for Your Health: An Online Tutorial

Welcome to Community Education Group’s Navigating the Web Tutorial. Below we’ll give you a brief introduction on how to use the internet to find accurate health information, so you can protect yourself and your family, ask your doctor the right questions and get the right answers. Now, more than ever, knowledge is power, but finding information can be hard. This tutorial will make it easy for you to get the information you need!

Contents:

1. What is the Internet?

2. How do I find information I want?

3. How can I tell if information is right?

4. How should I use health information found on the internet?

What is the Internet?

The internet is a network of networks, computers connected all over the world. It is an interrelated web of web pages (like this one) within web sites within a larger web of sites this site links to and from. People can connect to web sites created by anyone with a computer and internet account.

What’s a link? A link connects you to a new page of information. Links are generally underlined and a different color than the other words, but you can always tell a link because your cursor changes from an arrow to a hand.

What’s a web page? A web page is a single page of information. When you open up a web browser, it opens to a single webpage – all the information you see when you scroll up or down.

What’s a web browser?

A web browser is the program you use to look at the internet. It might be Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari or another program. It translates the code all web sites are written in into all the colors, patterns, spacing and other formatting you see on any web page.

What’s a web site?

A web site is a series of related web pages, created by the same organization. Sometimes a single website will be written by hundreds of people – sometimes a website will be a host to many different people’s ideas, or people’s individual web pages (for instance, many people create blogs on websites owned by google or yahoo – or profile webpages on facebook or myspace).

How can I tell what web site I’m on?

Every web page has its own address, just like an apartment. The address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the code in the top of your browser. It tells you where you are on the web. One example is http://www.communityeducationgroup.org/programs/HIPS/tutorial. Like this:

The URL has several parts:

http:// this is the foundation for nearly all websites, and stands for “HyperText Transfer Protocol.” Hypertext means you can jump from 1 page to another. You never need to type this when entering an address.

www. Stands for World Wide Web, another name for the Internet – all websites are part of the world wide web.

communityeducationgroup is the name of the organization that runs the website. ,This will be part of the URL for any webpage that is part of our site. It tells you what web site you are on.

.org is the type of group that runs the website. It is also called a domain name. A .org site means that the website is owned by a non-profit organization.

§ .com means it is a corporation

§ .edu means it is a school or educational institution

§ .gov means it is a government agency

/programs/HIPS/tutorial are parts of the website. Each section, /programs, /HIPS, /tutorial , is a separate part of the site. This web page is in the Programs section of the site, because it is one of our programs. Specifically, it is part of our HIPS (Health Information Partners) program. And even more specifically, it specifies a tutorial! Every website has its own way of organizing information, so this part of the URL will vary.

And each webpage has a series of links to other pages, which have their own links to other pages and other web sites and on and on…. And each of these pages are written by people all across the world, with every opinion, every level of expertise and every reason for writing – from trying to sell something to trying to give the best, most accurate information.

How do I find the information I want?

There are two main ways to find the information you want. One is to go to a site that is trusted and verified by a healthcare provider. For instance, MedlinePlus, created by the federal government is an excellent resource.

The other best method is to do a search.

There are several tools to search the internet (called search engines), including www.google.com and www.yahoo.com. Google, for instance, scans through each page’s content, looks for sites that are most popular, and also looks for sites with the most links from other relevant sites. It does all the complicated work for you!

However, you need to be sure you choose a website that you can trust since Google will give you websites from organizations with health experience to organizations trying to sell you products

For instance, if you want to know how HIV/AIDS is transmitted, you could search “HIV/AIDS transmission how” for these results:

First, Google lists sponsored sites or ads, meaning that the organization that runs the website paid to have their website listed first. Sometimes these are bought by large companies, like drug companies. Other times they are bought by non profits to highlight their organization. Sponsored sites are also listed on the right hand side of the page.

Next, the most popular sites are listed. Each of the websites provides information about how HIV is transmitted. The last website listed is the official Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page on HIV Transmission.

Search tip: You do not have to type “How is HIV/AIDS transmitted?” – you could also search for “HIV/AIDS transmission how” or “Getting HIV/AIDS” or “HIV spread by” – any of these will turn up sites with the answer to how HIV is transmitted. The key is being able to verify the site is telling the truth.

How can I tell if information is true?

Ask yourself these questions when looking at a website:

1. Who runs the site?

Is it a corporation? A non profit? A university?

2. What is the goal of the site?

To provide health information? To sell medicine?

3. Who wrote the information?

Is it a doctor or other health professional?

4. Is the information an opinion or do they provide sources?

Do they tell you where they got their facts?

5. Is it current information?

What year was it written?

Example:

Let’s take a look at the first page on our search:

Even before we click on the link, we know it is a college, university or other school, because of the .edu, which I circled in red.

Clicking on the link brings us to this page:

Right now, we don’t know what school runs the site and we don’t know why it is providing HIV information. If we scroll down to the bottom of the page, no author is listed, and so far it hasn’t sited any sources. This site will take some investigating!

The first step is clicking on the Main AIDS Page link, which has the red arrow pointing toward it above. More information about who runs a site should always be listed on the Main Page, sometimes called ‘Home page’.

This site’s Main Page:

Here, we can find most of the information to our questions:

1. Who runs the site?

The University of Albany runs the site (see top red circle above) – which we can check is true by looking at the URL – the domain name is albany.edu – this is part of the University’s official website.

2. What is the goal of the site?

On the bottom of the page it says it is ‘Provided as a service to the University Community by the Vice-President’s Advisory Council on AIDS Prevention’. The goal of the site is to provide HIV/AIDS information to students at the University of Albany. Because the goal is helping the student body, this site is probably a reliable source to find out about transmission. But we still don’t know the answers to the last three questions:

3. Who wrote the information?

4. Is the information an opinion or do they provide sources?

5. Is it current information?

To find out these questions, the next place to looks is the ‘About the Site’ page – I added the red arrow to point out its’ location.

About the Site page:

Can we answer the rest of the questions?

3. Who wrote the information?

The Web development team put together the site, and both are from the University of Albany School of Public Health. This means that while they are not doctors, they are probably qualified to write about HIV/AIDS transmission.

4. Is the information an opinion or do they provide sources?

The site does provide a source, the New York State Department of Public Health, but it says that ‘much’ information came from that source, not all of it. Some may have been influenced by opinion or less accurate sources.

5. Is it current information?

The website doesn’t say when it was created on this page. One last place to look? The information about who sponsored the site back on the main page:

Clicking on that link brings us to the following page:

And the answer to is it is NOT current information. It is from 1997 or 1998, and ten years is a long time for most health information. You should always try to find information from the last three years, at most.

What does this mean?

By answering the five questions, we found out that while the site has the purpose of providing accurate health information, and comes from a source that can be trusted, some of the information may be outdated or inaccurate. This doesn’t mean that the information on this site is necessarily bad, just that it would be a good idea to look at other sources as well. Looking at multiple sources is always best.

By going through the five questions for multiple websites, you can find the best information on the internet! And you can prevent the spread of inaccurate information.

How should I use health information found on the internet?

Health information found on the internet is not a replacement for a doctor or other health professional. But, it can be an excellent place to find accurate information about how to stay healthy, to learn when to see a doctor and to know what questions to ask your doctor.

By learning more about your health and health risks, you can take better care of yourself, your friends, and your family – and make sure they see a doctor when they need to.

Rubberman

...Here to protect you!

One of the challenges we face every day is encouraging people to protect themselves and wear the rubbers we distribute. Like we mentioned in the last post, at least 3% of DC residents are positive for HIV. Yet in this high risk city, only 30% use condoms.

Reasons why vary, from not wanting to pay to decreased pleasure. For women, who face a higher risk of HIV infection to begin with, encouraging their partner to wear a condom can be an issue of power - and poverty. Studies have shown that young women, especially single mothers, will put immediate needs such as shelter and food above long term risks, including HIV.

So what can we do? Our most effective approach is one on one conversations, hundreds of which happen every week in and around our mobile testing units. After discussing HIV risk factors, constituents are given condoms and encouraged to get tested.

We also provide free condoms in barber shops, salons and other locations where the District's Black community gather. We supply 150 locations with at least 100 condoms a week - distributing hundreds of thousands of condoms each year.

But this still isn't enough. We need discussions about safe sex to happen every where, every day - and we need condom use to be the good, strong, right thing to do.

Which is where our public awareness campaign - Rubberman - comes in. He's strong, he's Black, and he's the public face of our condom initiative. With advertisements in the Washington Informer, stickers for outside our condom distribution sites and his logo emblazoned on our outreach vehicles, we hope this new symbol will do his part to spark conversations and save the day.