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[S]ubstance use plays a major role in the transmission of HIV disease-indeed, a much larger role than has been generally recognized. Clearly, our nation's drug control policies must recognize this inextricable linkage between drugs and HIV disease and be designed to address the two aggressively and simultaneously. -National Commission on AIDS, The Twin Epidemics of Substance Use and HIV, 1991[1] Because neither a vaccine nor a cure for HIV infection appears likely in the near future, planning is needed for the long term to limit the spread of HIV among drug injectors, their sexual partners, and their potential offspring. -National Research Council, AIDS: The Second Decade, 1990[2]

CAPS/UCSF PRC leading PrEP research!

Welcome to our new quarterly e-newsletter! This issue focuses on PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis. Read about our work on PrEP uptake and implementation in Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Texas, and internationally. There are also CAPS updates to share, so take a look! In this issue:

1. The Trans Community and PrEP
2. Local black MSM and PrEP Access
3. Black MSM in TX and PrEP Use
4. iPrex Open Label Extension
5. International HIV/STI Programs for Transgender People
6. CAPS Technical Assistance
7. Mpowerment Summit 2016
8. Updates

In This Issue:

• California budget cuts
• Seroadaptation
• Kenya, China

Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) Newsletter - Fall 2010

When the latest HIV prevalence consensus report was released in San Francisco in 1997, statistics revealed increasing HIV rates among gay and bisexual men of color. Among gay men of color, Latinos had the highest rates of HIV infection. In response to this, the STOP AIDS Project decided to heighten their HIV prevention efforts for Latino gay and bisexual men. STOP AIDS convened a meeting for all of the agencies in San Francisco providing HIV prevention services for Latino gay and bisexual men. “We wanted to bring all of the providers to the same table to increase communication between the agencies and to learn what types of HIV prevention activities each of the agencies were doing.” said Héctor Carillo, former STOP AIDS Project Deputy Director and current CAPS researcher. Another aim was to get a sense of which segments of the gay Latino community each agency was reaching. “What we discovered in that meeting was that we were all reaching a part of this diverse community. There was overlap, but each agency had access to a specific segment of the community,” Héctor said. Acknowledging and integrating each community based organizations’ expertise strengthened the campaign. “Every organization was valued and every group was covered and it made folks feel less defensive.” said Robert Pérez, former Communications Director of STOP AIDS. At that meeting, the agencies realized that there was no unified media to reach the community as a whole, and decided to pursue a media campaign. The STOP AIDS Project had the experience in developing media campaigns and access to funds for the project, while the other agencies had access to each of the various segments of the gay Latino community. Representatives from all of the agencies involved formed a planning committee to create the media campaign. The result is “Families Change, Families Grow/Las Familias Cambian, Las Familias Crecen”– a research-grounded media campaign created through this collaborative effort involving Mission Neighborhood Health Center, Proyecto ContraSIDA por Vida, El Ambiente and the STOP AIDS Project.