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TABLE OF CONTENTS: Excerpts from NASTAD’s Youth Issue Brief # 1: Introduction Conclusion Meeting and Planning Calendar 2009 NASTAD Prevention Bulletin Series

View the entire Youth Issue Brief #1. Introduction In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data underscoring the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on Blacks and Latinos in the United States (U.S.). While Black Americans comprise approximately 13 percent of the total U.S. population, they comprise 45 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S. Similarly, Latinos represent 15 percent of the U.S. population and make up 18 percent of all new infections. The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) has long prioritized addressing racial and ethnic health disparities by influencing the direction of HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis policy and by assisting health departments in improving the effectiveness of programs targeting HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis in minority communities. In 2005, NASTAD released a call to action entitled, A Turning Point: Confronting HIV/AIDS in African American Communities, to underscore the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on Black Americans in the U.S. and to call on state and local health departments, Black Community leaders, federal agencies and policy makers to strengthen their responses to this public health crisis. Subsequent publications, Black MSM: Issue Briefs 1, 2 and 3, African American Women: The Landscape of HIV/AIDS among African American Women in the U.S., and a monograph, Why We Can’t Wait: The Tipping Point for HIV/AIDS among African Americans, further underscore the impact of HIV/AIDS on Blacks, provide a comprehensive analysis of relevant issues confronting each population and recommend steps for reducing the rates of infection in these communities. Additionally, in September 2008, NASTAD released ¡Adelante!: Strengthening the Response to HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis in Latino Communities which urges health departments, national organizations, federal partners and key community-based organizations and leaders to reaffirm commitments to providing a comprehensive approach to address health disparities in Latino communities. This Call to Action serves as a springboard for enhanced activities targeting Latino communities, including Latino men who have sex with men (MSM), in the U.S. This issue brief on youth–focused on young Black and Latino gay men and other MSM–explores how to best engage youth as partners in combating the HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted disease (STD) and viral hepatitis epidemics in the U.S. It is the first in a three-part series that will focus on youth and offer health departments an opportunity to strengthen their efforts to engage young people in public health services. This first issue brief discusses specific youth populations most impacted by HIV/AIDS, STDs and viral hepatitis, presents a contextual framework in which disease prevention and care and treatment programs can be considered and offers a range of public health strategies for organizing and delivering services to young Black and Latino gay men and other MSM. View the entire Youth Issue Brief #1. back to top > Conclusion As we have discussed throughout the issue brief, young Black and Latino gay men and other MSM face numerous challenges in addition to their risk for becoming infected with HIV, STDs and viral hepatitis. To enhance their strategies, health departments and community partners are encouraged to fully understand these challenges, particularly the historical, cultural, social and political forces that influence young Black and Latino gay men and other MSM. Oppression is still manifested in the U.S., both intrinsically and extrinsically (e.g., through minimum sentencing laws and immigration policies). There exists an important context by which racial/ethnic minorities came to be part of the U.S. and this context still impacts the lives of Black and Latino Americans. Minority Americans may not choose to inherently accept predominate cultural values, norms and behaviors, and this is not wrong or bad. Some young Black and Latino gay men and other MSM have attributes that increase their risk for disease, like trading sex, being out of school, having refugee/immigrant status and hiding their identities. Race, ethnicity and class conspire to reinforce health disparities among Black and Latino Americans (i.e., many do not have the same access to resources as White Americans). Health departments and their community partners are also encouraged to never overlook the complex lives young Black and Latino gay men and other MSM live and to fervently ask questions that can inform the development of appropriate strategies to keep these populations healthy; questions like How can programs capitalize on or mitigate the influence of music and the media on decision making?;and How can programs honor the reality that sex is, oftentimes, about passion and the reality that young people inherently just want to feel love? Similar to the forces that influence the ultimate health and wellness of young Black and Latino gay men and other MSM, there are many questions that must be asked and many answers that must be found. As one focus group participant in NASTAD’s Black MSM Issue Brief #3 stated, “You cannot do HIV prevention without addressing poverty. You cannot do HIV prevention without addressing homophobia. You cannot do HIV prevention without addressing homelessness. You certainly cannot do it without addressing the dynamics of family relationships. It’s just so deep. I keep saying that HIV is a social problem that manifests as a public health problem.” While the forces are many and their resolution is difficult, naming and honoring these realities is an essential part of understanding them and integrating them into the essential work of disease prevention and care and treatment. View the entire Youth Issue Brief #1. back to top > Meeting and Planning Calendar Capacity Building Opportunities: For a searchable database of CDC-supported capacity building trainings and events, please visit: the Capacity Building Branch’s Group Events Management System site. February 7, 2009 National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day February 8-11, 2009 16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Montreal, Canada March 1-7, 2009 National Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS March 8-14, 2009 National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Health Awareness Week. Updated materials forthcoming. March 10, 2009 National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day March 20, 2009 National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day April STD Awareness Month April 5-7, 2009 4th International Conference on HIV Treatment Adherence, Miami, FL April 16-18, 2009 HIV/STD Prevention in Rural Communities: Sharing Successful Strategies VI, Bloomington, IN. ABSTRACTS DUE FEBRUARY 6, 2009. May 2009 Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month May 18, 2009 HIV Vaccine Awareness Day May 19, 2009 National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day World Hepatitis Day May 21-24, 2009 HIV/AIDS 2009: The Social Work Response, New Orleans, LA June 8, 2009 Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day June 27, 2009 National HIV Testing Day August 23-26, 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference, Atlanta, GA October 29-31, 2009 United States Conference on AIDS, San Francisco, CA. Abstracts due April 24, 2009. November 7-11, 2009 American Public Health Association 137th Meeting and Expo, Philadelphia, PA back to top > 2009 NASTAD Prevention Bulletin Series In 2009, the NASTAD Prevention Bulletin series is exploring new ways to communicate important information, including Web 2.0 media and web-based applications. NASTAD is also focusing the content of the Bulletin to explore topics in greater depth, featuring multiple Bulletin issues on a single topic, like this issue, the first in a three-part issue brief series focusing on youth. We invite all current readers to explore this new direction with us and provide your feedback.

	Credits, Feedback and Input The NASTAD Prevention Bulletin is edited by NASTAD staff and is written by staff and prevention experts from around the country. This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 5U62PS323958-05 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you have an idea or program that you would like to include in the Bulletin, please contact Dave Kern or Lynne Greabell (202/434-8090). NASTAD welcomes feedback to issues presented in Bulletin. To submit commentary, please e-mail us at NASTAD@NASTAD.org. Electronic versions of the Bulletin are available on our webpage.
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