SPEAKER_00 0:43

Thank you for joining the forty-five minute town hall series created and produced by HIV Possible Empower HIV Health and the Black Public Health Academy. So Tammy, I just want to dive right into our conversation. Why this tour now and what do you hope to gain from centering black communities and black leadership in the response to supporting people with HIV?

SPEAKER_02 1:32

Thank you, Alicia. That is such an important question. I believe this tour is happening now because our communities are facing a critical moment in HIV. Many individuals living with HIV are experiencing uncertainty surrounding healthcare access, medication access, stigma, long-term support systems, and so on. So at this time, no, in particular, I want to say our black communities, you know, continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV, yet are often, you know, underrepresentative and or representative, if I can speak today, in decision-making spaces and public conversations surrounding solutions. So the 45-minute town hall was created to bring urgent, honest, and community-centered conversations directly to people who are most impacted. We believe that education, you know, awareness and collaboration couldn't wait. So these conversations were necessary. By centering Black communities and Black leadership, we hope to have created spaces where lived experience and like cultural understanding and trust of voices drive the conversation. Black leaders, advocates, faith leaders, healthcare professionals, uh, community members understand the unique challenges our communities face and are best positioned to help identify the needs and the responsive solutions. Ultimately, we had hoped to strengthen partnerships, you know, reduce stigma, increase awareness, improve treatment and prevention engagement, and also build sustainable community-driven support systems that power people living with and affected by HIV.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

Now, Tammy, uh, you sound like the architect of this model. I want to hear uh from you, Sean, uh, because I believe you are the the decorator of this house. So share with us why this tour and now.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Well, I just want to say Tammy is the orchestrator. When I tell you she be on point with it, she be on point. Um it's needed. This tour is needed right now. Um, we are in a in a season, and and and as I always say, y'all, y'all know I'm heavy on my belief with um my faith. We're in our ester season. This is it. This is it. We cannot be silent anymore. We have to speak up and speak out. And as Esther said, if I perish, I perish. But baby, we will not be silent anymore. And with our numbers being so high at 45%, it's unacceptable. And we are hitting areas right now that um the urban areas right now are really not considering. We're touching the rural areas. So coming into these areas, into these spaces, and hearing what with the lack of things that the urban areas get, that the rural areas don't have, this is our time right now. This is why this is so needed. And we have to speak on it, we have to bring it to the attention of the powers that may be, and we have to do our part because as the the uh 45 stands for, ain't nobody coming to save us. We have to do it for ourselves, and this is why it's me.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

That's right, yeah, Sean.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

So so uh well put. Um, and for those of you who might haven't picked up uh your Bible in a while, um, blow the dust off of it. It's some inspiration in there. Uh, but Sean referenced um Esther, and we know she was a strategist, and it sounds like that's what this uh tour is doing, and it's promoting strategy to save ourselves. So Tammy, I I I wanna I wanna come back to you and ask, share one win uh you believe the leaders of Winter Haven can achieve, and what type of support will they need to do it?

SPEAKER_02 6:15

I think one of the wins was uh the collaboration between um two organizations that were there. Uh there was an individual that was representing the Florida Harm Reduction Group. Um I believe she was fairly new to uh her job and was just learning how to uh she was taking classes to be to be able to do testing and counseling uh for HIV. And I love the fact that they were able to connect with Positivity U and to be able to link uh clients, you know, to the organizations to seek help. I love the fact, I love that collaboration. And as I mentioned before, when I worked when I was a state employee, um, we didn't have, or I'm gonna speak for myself, I did not know all these local organizations were in the community. And so being outside and being able to see the community that um, you know, serves outside of you know your DOHs is just it's mind blowing. And but just having that collaboration, the making sure that those living with hepatitis and those living with HIV or are their core morbidities um that they're able to link to services. And I just love that collaboration.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Yes, that definitely is a win. Um, because none of us are gonna get there alone.

SPEAKER_02 7:44

No, that is so true.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Sean, tell us what uh what wins are you taking uh away that Winter Haven can achieve, and let us know if there's any support that they may need from community to do so.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Absolutely. Well, one of the major wins, and I'll repeat what Tammy said, was that major collaboration between the Sarah Project, harm reduction, and positively you. Um it was a it was a beautiful thing to see, to see them coming together and understanding what each of them represents individually and looking at how the the conversation engulfed them to be able to merge and and speak of ways that they could come together as a unit here to support Winterhaven. Um, one of the things though that really, really stuck out to me was um through storytelling. And y'all know uh storytelling is very big for uh HIV possible. We do that with our linkage to faith. Uh storytelling is a major thing that we do. And through some of the stories that we heard, one that really stood out for me was how a uh person here uh in Winnihaven was addressed um through one of the stories. Uh person came up. Let me just share it with you. The person tested reactive for the uh HIV test. And this is a person that had not been tested before, and to get that uh reactive, you know, stating that you have HIV is devastating in itself, right? But then to have to be referred back to the health department for a confirmatory test to make sure that the uh what we like to call the street test, which is the one that we give, you know, at the local at the grassroots level. So to make sure that what we're getting is actually true, a true test uh and a true diagnosis, we send the clients for a conformatory test to confirm uh the testing was actually what it was, or if it was false in itself. And one of the stories that came out of this was stating that when the person went to um the health department to get that conformatory test, uh, the language was so damaging. Um, the person was told that they were contagious, right? And think about that. I want you to sit with that. In this day and age, language is so very vital. Language is so very crucial because what we don't want to do is re-stigmatize or or even further harm, cause harm in in the words that we say, right? Because one thing for sure and two things for certain, that we do know that there's life and death in the tongue. And to use the words contagious to a person who was just diagnosed, right, caused more harm within that one, that one interaction that will sit with this person for the rest of their diagnosis for the rest of their life.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Mistrust, right?

SPEAKER_01 11:09

It it it thank you, Tammy. The mistrust that that that one instant, the fear, um, the stigma, the isolation. This person didn't even go home because of the way that it was phrased to them. And you know, we lost that person to care. We lost them to care. And now to try to rebuild, to try to go back and and and link with that person, to rebuild trust, to find ways to re-engage with this client, to break the mental stigma, the the self-stigma, you know, the internal stigma, you know, that's gonna that's gonna take major, major work. And and for that to happen and to hear this happening, um, this is why we say language matters. What we say has impact. Whether we're here to work for the community, we want to improve the outcomes. And this was definitely a setback. So um knowing that um, knowing that that that happened, you know, we want to provide ways to possibly re-engage that person, to show them a better outcome than what they they've experienced, and to uh be transparent and and show compassion, you know, that's what we have to do for all of our clients again, because language is so vitally important.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Yeah, and this and this definitely proves how you know that we need to be advocates and partners to all of our organizations that uh reach out or serve those living uh with HIV. We you know, training has to be had, you know, there's high turnaround uh in the HIV field because it's it's very demanding work and it could take a toll on an individual if you don't have that passion behind you. Um it was very disheartening to hear that. And I do hope that they're able to find this individual and get them back in care and just you know, teach them the facts that they're not indeed contagious. That is just a damaging word. Um, and you know, and that this guy is able to live and hug his grandson. I believe that was one of the big things he was, you know, he was asking, would he be able to hug his grandchild? And I was just like, oh my gosh, you know, right, grandkids myself. I'm like, I would be devastated. So yeah, I we definitely there's there's teachings to you know to be had and on both ends. So I think that's very important to mention.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Absolutely, absolutely, and then um, what was the second part of that question, uh, Miss Leisha?

SPEAKER_00 14:01

What uh what support uh might the leaders in Winterhaven need um to secure that win?

SPEAKER_01 14:10

They need visibility. I believe visibility is the main thing that is needed because it looks like they have the tools, they're utilizing the tools that they have here within themselves without um, you know, that situation that we just spoke of that story. Um the the organization that um went after the client, you know, said bump the the health department. We are doing it for ourselves, and this is where we we come in. We have to have those connections with our insurance agents and brokers to get people uh realigned into to insurance, the ACA. We have to make sure that people have a clear understanding of the um the tax credit that they can utilize. Um, they have to file their the clients have to file their taxes to utilize that tax credit. Uh we have to continuously educate people to be more involved in their own personal care and in making it ways that is understandable. And we also have to make sure that they have the tools to be able to do this in multi-languages. And that would address Hispanic, the Hispanic community, the Haitian Creole community, and even the community for the hearing and visually impaired. Let's not leave them out. So these are some of the things that I saw that can actually help. But visibility would bring all of this to this community and beyond. And I truly see that as a win um for this area.

SPEAKER_00 15:54

And one way that we're helping to provide that uh visibility is this podcast.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

Yes, also people who may not have even known that a winter haven exists are hearing just the great work of black leaders uh within that community to not only create strategies, but to save ourselves. And so, Tammy, I I I thank you for bringing in the uh personal uh impact of uh someone making decisions about putting the care of their family first, their grandchildren first, even if it was based off of erroneous information. Uh that's why it's so important that there are continual pathways for education, not just for our community, but also for our public health institutions, including the health department. Sean, thank you for sharing with us the testing process, because everybody may not know that as uh community testers or community-based organizations, there are different protocols in different counties or parts of the state. Where in Polk County, uh, as an example, that when the community-based organization provides uh uh testing and that testing is reactive, they are sending um uh clients to the health department for confirmatory testing. So I just wanted to make sure that people understood that process of how um someone got from a local organization to the health department. And this isn't our way of calling the health department out, it is our way of calling the health department in and say it's so important that uh HIV education, even what may seem to be the basics, is important um for all staff to to go through. Um, and Tammy just mentioned the revolving door, and because of that revolving door, staff coming in and out, some with HIV experience and some with not. So that that is important, and so uh again, thank you so much for the recap and the highlight for Winter Haven. The next stop is Gainesville. Woo! Yes, John, when we gonna be in Gator Country.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

We are going to be at the oh my goodness, at the um Baxter's place. Baxter's place, uh in in Gainesville. Um, we're coming, we're on the road, and you know, there's one part that we left out, um, and I just want to piggyback, um, just just go back to this. The food was amazing. Oh my! Oh yes, um, she did her thing. So we want to shout out um sweet tease catering, she was amazing, and um the food was good. So we're excited to be headed to Gainesville. Um, we have a big surprise there. We're gonna have some cultural Caribbean food um for Gainesville, and um, you know, y'all know I get excited when we talk about food.

SPEAKER_02 20:01

So happy dance.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

We're excited for Gainesville, um, and we're excited for this podcast and just this overall tour. Um, ladies, you have been absolutely amazing. Again, it humbles me. Um, I'm just beyond grateful to be a part of this amazing team. Um, and doing the things that we're doing. We we're we're changing the dynamic. We are speaking up for our people. And as Mama Alicia said, read your Bible, it's in there. Esther is there. Uh just read the whole Bible, you'll find it. How uh the story, uh, a little bit of Esther, she had to speak up to save her people, and this is what we're doing. And for such a time as this, this is why God, I believe, this is why God has saved me and has spared my life because he knew that there was going to be such a time as this. So I'm just honored to be here and to do God's work and and to have the accountability um partners that I have um on this team and to um just be here and and being on one accord with what we're doing and to have the passion that we have. It's amazing. So to God be all the glory.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

And so, Sean, that to me was uh a call out to faith leaders. Sometimes they they don't know if they're welcome in in these type of spaces when we're having these conversations. Um clearly we got uh one saint. I don't know where Tammy and I fall, but with Sister Tinsley, we for sure got one saint that you can come and and have that faith conversation with. Uh so please come out. We love to see you in Gainesville. We will be coming uh with to you with our second episode of the 45-minute town hall for the highlights from the Gainesville convening. Again, thank you to HIV Possible, the Empower HIV Health, and the Black Public Health Account uh Academy for um being the creators and the producers of this podcast. And thank you uh to our sponsors, Gilead Science and AC.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

foundation woo yes thank you sponsors you know we couldn't have done this without them either so thank you to them for seeing the need for understanding um the needs and the urging the need yes yeah definitely so kudos to both of those sponsors i just want to say too leisha that we make sure that we say gainesville from 6 p.m to 8 p.m to come out yeah that's right 6 p.m to 8 p.m this wednesday we want to see you at baxter's place at baxter's place we'll be there