Met with Keith Reynolds of the UAF via email to touch base and update him on the group progress as well as to hear any additional thoughts he may have had since the last meeting. I informed Keith of the group involvement with the research review paper, and that we would go over our findings with him once it is completed.
Keith also offered the use of the board room at the UAF in case we need a space for meeting with individuals from the community.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
3rd UAF Meeting (C8)
Group members met with Keith to report and discuss the first focus group that had taken place the week before. Group members summarized all that was discussed in the focus group and how many were in attendance (see http://sjt1.blogspot.com/2014/10/community-meeting-7.html). Together, with Keith, potential focus areas were discussed including:
We discussed possible research topics with Keith, and decided that focusing on similar programs nationwide, particularly places comparable to Salt Lake City, would be beneficial in guiding our project. This research would look into what types of outreach and prevention have proved to be effective and what types have failed, and how this could be applicable to the Utah Aids Foundation's prevention efforts.
- Promoting awareness of the care that will be provided through UAF upon being tested positive through the free testing they offer.
- Development of educational outreach program to General Practitioners.
- Reference or "how to" sheet of info regarding how to appropriately and effectively speak with clients who are gay men.
- workshop with self identified "gay friendly" doctors whom the UAF is in contact with.
- Possible creation of a presentation that could be used in the medical field to educate how to more properly and emphatically speak with gay male clients.
- Community wide food-drive with publicity
- Targeting youth/college age men in community through various means such as
- reaching out at non-alcoholic club scenes
- building a relationship with LGBT Resource Center on Campus as well as the LGBT Therapist Guild
- website transformation
We discussed possible research topics with Keith, and decided that focusing on similar programs nationwide, particularly places comparable to Salt Lake City, would be beneficial in guiding our project. This research would look into what types of outreach and prevention have proved to be effective and what types have failed, and how this could be applicable to the Utah Aids Foundation's prevention efforts.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Group Meeting 7
Group members met following class to prepare for Tuesday night's Focus Group and completed the following:
- Reviewed basic statistics on HIV/AIDS in Utah.
- Discussed how we wanted to begin the meeting
- Established ground rules to share with the group before beginning our discussion.
- Discussed the questions we wanted to ask and how we wanted to approach asking them.
- Assigned roles to different group members:
- Karl- main facilitator (we all agreed to participate in the conversation and jump in when it seemed appropriate)
- Kilei agreed to be the primary note-taker.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Community meeting 7
Tonight we held our first focus group. All four of us as group members were able to be in attendance and there were six men who came to the focus group. The following is the collection of notes I took while at the focus group (FG).
FG's prior knowledge of HIV - there is no cure, it is no longer a death sentence, should wear condoms to not get HIV or abstain from sex
FG mentioned having gained their knowledge from family members, the LGBT Youth Center, but not at school as there is an abstinance only program taught in Utah schools
FG members have either not attended any focus groups or classes before this group or they have attended some community classes such as those held at the Outreach Center in Ogden. The Outreach program primarily targeted youth at the time the group member went there and they had condoms available as well as information.
When asked about HIV Testing these were the responses of the FG, testing has been done through their GP, through the Military (The military provides annual testing and additional tests can be requested), at Planned Parenthood, and at the Utah Aids Foundation
Identified barriers to testing included, not knowing where to go, cultural and religious barriers, insufficient knowledge of when to get tested and how often, fear of social stigma, fear of being positive so they would prefer to remain untested
The FG said that within the community HIV is a conscientious concern and they felt it should be a greater concern in the wider general population as well
The FG was asked what services they knew about that the UAF provided and the following was known, free testing is available, condoms are available, information on the affordable care act is available, physician information is available and various services for people living with HIV. It was also presented to the focus group that counseling, case management, prevention strategies and avenues for sharing prevention knowledge are also available.
A FG member shared that he didn't really know what to specifically share with his GP in regards to his sex lif and individual risk factors such as number of partners
The following were additional concerns and thoughts mentioned by FG members, there are cultural taboos with different clinics where some will label you as high risk whether you are or not, some clinics automatically assume you are high risk or that you are not using protection if you share with them just one thing, there is a fear of sharing too much with a GP because it is unknown what they will place on your record and you may be labeled and have future struggles with insurance related to this labeling
In discussing prevention program ideas with the FG, the following ideas were brought up,
attach UAF resources to clubs on college campuses
place adds on banner sites for social media
determine better ways to more fully utilize the UAF website
Word of mouth
hold a food drive and provide information about prevention
website incentive programs (these would likely not be a good avenue to reach teens but maybe effective with adults who do not share the same fears about using a home computer for research
have booths at job fairs where teens may go so they can obtain information while not being observed by parents or other authority figures
hold meet up events
list events on sites such as Whats Happening Utah
sponsor sports teams
have board game nights
have booths at farmers markets
have someone or a group of people assigned as event promoters to help get the word out about events and personally invite people to attend
The final thing we discussed in the focus group tonight was the types of items that could most effectively be used as incentives. These included, restaurant gift cards, movie passes, candy, end of season parties for sports teams
The Focus Group was held from 6pm to 7pm.
FG's prior knowledge of HIV - there is no cure, it is no longer a death sentence, should wear condoms to not get HIV or abstain from sex
FG mentioned having gained their knowledge from family members, the LGBT Youth Center, but not at school as there is an abstinance only program taught in Utah schools
FG members have either not attended any focus groups or classes before this group or they have attended some community classes such as those held at the Outreach Center in Ogden. The Outreach program primarily targeted youth at the time the group member went there and they had condoms available as well as information.
When asked about HIV Testing these were the responses of the FG, testing has been done through their GP, through the Military (The military provides annual testing and additional tests can be requested), at Planned Parenthood, and at the Utah Aids Foundation
Identified barriers to testing included, not knowing where to go, cultural and religious barriers, insufficient knowledge of when to get tested and how often, fear of social stigma, fear of being positive so they would prefer to remain untested
The FG said that within the community HIV is a conscientious concern and they felt it should be a greater concern in the wider general population as well
The FG was asked what services they knew about that the UAF provided and the following was known, free testing is available, condoms are available, information on the affordable care act is available, physician information is available and various services for people living with HIV. It was also presented to the focus group that counseling, case management, prevention strategies and avenues for sharing prevention knowledge are also available.
A FG member shared that he didn't really know what to specifically share with his GP in regards to his sex lif and individual risk factors such as number of partners
The following were additional concerns and thoughts mentioned by FG members, there are cultural taboos with different clinics where some will label you as high risk whether you are or not, some clinics automatically assume you are high risk or that you are not using protection if you share with them just one thing, there is a fear of sharing too much with a GP because it is unknown what they will place on your record and you may be labeled and have future struggles with insurance related to this labeling
In discussing prevention program ideas with the FG, the following ideas were brought up,
attach UAF resources to clubs on college campuses
place adds on banner sites for social media
determine better ways to more fully utilize the UAF website
Word of mouth
hold a food drive and provide information about prevention
website incentive programs (these would likely not be a good avenue to reach teens but maybe effective with adults who do not share the same fears about using a home computer for research
have booths at job fairs where teens may go so they can obtain information while not being observed by parents or other authority figures
hold meet up events
list events on sites such as Whats Happening Utah
sponsor sports teams
have board game nights
have booths at farmers markets
have someone or a group of people assigned as event promoters to help get the word out about events and personally invite people to attend
The final thing we discussed in the focus group tonight was the types of items that could most effectively be used as incentives. These included, restaurant gift cards, movie passes, candy, end of season parties for sports teams
The Focus Group was held from 6pm to 7pm.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Group Meeting 6
We met as a group after class this week to discuss avenues we would like to explore with our newly identified target population and agency. We talked about who could attend the flier distribution Wednesday evening and who could attend the focus group Tuesday evening next week.
The flier Distribution will take place at the Dancing Crane shop at 6pm Wednesday the 22nd.
The focus group will be held Tuesday the 28th at the Utah Aids Foundation, also at 6pm.
We talked about the importance of finding out what the community wants, what Keith (our new contact wants) and what we are realistically able to provide and accomplish and finding a way to mesh the three as best as possible.
Possible interventions we could put in place were also discussed, particularly as they relate to out current understanding of needs centered around prevention awareness for teens and young adults. Some of these ideas included informational brochures, and interactive video modulars (such as those made publicly available by the Canadian equivalent of the CDC which I learned about this summer).
Keith's interest/desire for an incentive program for meeting attendance was also discussed. We decided we needed more info from him in regards to what shape he would like this to take and what was available but that it was a good idea as it may get the people there which we need for the focus group to ultimately be successful.
The flier Distribution will take place at the Dancing Crane shop at 6pm Wednesday the 22nd.
The focus group will be held Tuesday the 28th at the Utah Aids Foundation, also at 6pm.
We talked about the importance of finding out what the community wants, what Keith (our new contact wants) and what we are realistically able to provide and accomplish and finding a way to mesh the three as best as possible.
Possible interventions we could put in place were also discussed, particularly as they relate to out current understanding of needs centered around prevention awareness for teens and young adults. Some of these ideas included informational brochures, and interactive video modulars (such as those made publicly available by the Canadian equivalent of the CDC which I learned about this summer).
Keith's interest/desire for an incentive program for meeting attendance was also discussed. We decided we needed more info from him in regards to what shape he would like this to take and what was available but that it was a good idea as it may get the people there which we need for the focus group to ultimately be successful.
Community Based Participatory Research Questions
Regarding our project working with the Utah Aids Foundation with a particular focus on gay men, we answered the following three questions posed in class:
(1.) What additional information would you like to know?
(2.) Where could you acquire/secure this information?
(1.) What additional information would you like to know?
- How well informed is the population?
- For those who contracted HIV/AIDS more recently, how did it happen?
- Did these individuals previously know about prevention methods and chose not to use them, or were they unaware?
- What gaps are there in the existing literature?
- What is the perception of risk in Utah?
- What is the perception of the disease overall?
- What is the common perception of the Utah Aids Foundation? Is there a stigma attached to using their services or coming to the center?
- For those living with HIV/AIDS, what resources/supports are they currently aware of? Where do they stand in need?
(2.) Where could you acquire/secure this information?
- Utah Aids Foundation and the resources it has to offer
- Community members
- Local research being performed by organizations or colleges/universities.
- Focus groups (we have our first one next week!)
- Interviews with community members
- Literature searches
- Consulting with experts, community organization leaders
- Health department records on statewide and national levels
Friday, October 17, 2014
First UAF meeting (C4)
On 10/16 Mary reported that she had received a note of interest from Keith Reynolds at the Utah AIDS Foundation. He wanted to meet with us on 10/17 at 10 AM.
Because of the late notice and scheduling conflicts with work, only Mary and Karl were able to attend. We met with Keith and got a tour of the UAF facility. We then explained the nature of our project and confirmed that we could form an alliance with Keith and the UAF that would be mutually beneficial to our team, the UAF, and the community they serve as well. We then began preliminary exploration of issues which affect the UAF mission and ways that we might be of service to the community.
The mission of the UAF is to educate community members about HIV transmission and prevention, provide testing for a variety of sexually transmitted infections, as well as support for those persons in Utah currently living with HIV/AIDS. We identified that the primary population that Keith works with through the UAF is men who have sex with men (MSM), because this group is by far the most at-risk for contracting HIV. We were able to identify the following challenges:
Team members will meet this week to discuss specifics of the focus group, including what ways to best reach attendees and discover the community's needs in relation to the UAF and HIV prevention/education/testing/care.
Because of the late notice and scheduling conflicts with work, only Mary and Karl were able to attend. We met with Keith and got a tour of the UAF facility. We then explained the nature of our project and confirmed that we could form an alliance with Keith and the UAF that would be mutually beneficial to our team, the UAF, and the community they serve as well. We then began preliminary exploration of issues which affect the UAF mission and ways that we might be of service to the community.
The mission of the UAF is to educate community members about HIV transmission and prevention, provide testing for a variety of sexually transmitted infections, as well as support for those persons in Utah currently living with HIV/AIDS. We identified that the primary population that Keith works with through the UAF is men who have sex with men (MSM), because this group is by far the most at-risk for contracting HIV. We were able to identify the following challenges:
- Long term involvement from individuals in the community
- Interest and motivation for prevention education
- Ability to reach target population(s) in an effective manner with prevention programs
- Current rise in HIV transmission among IV drug users and apparent apathy in prevention from this particular subset of the population.
Team members will meet this week to discuss specifics of the focus group, including what ways to best reach attendees and discover the community's needs in relation to the UAF and HIV prevention/education/testing/care.
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