Healing Conversations for Men Who Have Sex with Men A Focus On Health, Community and Connection with Dr. Oni Blackstock
Dr. Oni Blackstock joins the show to talk about her work as the Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control for the NYC Health Department. Dr. Blackstock oversees and supervises all programmatic and administrative activities for the Bureau of HIV/AIDS. She is also a primary care physician, HIV specialist and research. She and David discuss the programs she is involved in regarding treatment and prevention services, community engagement and advocacy. They also discuss the state of HIV in New York currently, and both her concerns and successes within the recent years. Finally, they talk about how drug use intersects with HIV, and what upcoming programs we can expect in the future.
TAKEAWAYS:
[1:41] Dr. Blackstock oversees the Bureau of HIV and it’s 8 programs. She also helps immensely in strategies that reduce the number of new HIV infections, and also to improve the overall health and well being of those living with HIV.
[2:40] They are also seeing 85% of people living with HIV medical care reported as virally suppressed compared to the 79% we saw in 2013. In New York there are 100,000 people living with HIV. Dr. Blackstock and her team take into account all the data reported and do their best to develop programs according to social determinants of health as well.
[5:21] One of the goals is to help dismantle racism and stigma in the black and Latin communities, those that rank the highest of being disproportionately impacted.
[7:52] The Bureau has also been working with agencies they contract with to gather data and drill down on more information on both HIV numbers and drug use. Here they can get a better idea about crystal meth use as it relates to HIV, and create campaigns and forums to help even more.
[11:12] Dr. Blackstock discusses data captured from a CDC funded project, the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Study. This showed them that crystal meth use seemed to be on a decline amongst white MSM, yet increasing in the black and latino community.
[14L02] The Long Time Survivor Coalition in New York celebrates the lives of people living with HIV. It helps them be part of a community to engage in self care, and gives them a resource to help guide them into resources that provide social and health services.
[15:08] Often times those affected with HIV are not able to come to meet in person, for many reasons. This is why there are programs that focus on telephone outreach so there is still care and social connection given.
[20:41] There is also work to be done to make providers more comfortable discussing sexual history and PrEp with their patients.
[26:02] There is more optimism and hope than ever, and people are now seeing HIV as a chronic manageable disease rather than a death sentence. Hopefully in 2020 and beyond there will be more tools and prevention accessible to all who need it.
RESOURCES:
QUOTES:
● “We have a significant commitment to reducing the HIV related disparities and health inequalities we see as we work to end the epidemic.”
● “Person to person was so valuable, and it still is.”
● “Social support is so important.”
● “Social connection is really a healing force.”