Erie County HIV Task Force Hosts World AIDS Day Program Dec 1

Gary Snyder, Erie County Department of Health

On Friday, December 1, 2023, the Erie County HIV Task Force [ECHTF] will present this year's World AIDS Day program at the H.O. Hirt Auditorium inside the Blasco Library at 160 East Front Street, Erie, PA 16507. Doors will open at 5:30 pm, and the program begins at 6 pm. This year's focus is on celebrating the lives improved by 'ART' in the Erie region. Collaborating together, the "I am a Work of ART" project is bringing together local providers and clients to show the public about treatment and successes in living with HIV. The word ART this year has a dual meaning. As a medical term, ART is an acronym for Anti-Retroviral Therapy - a combo of meds taken to make HIV undetectable, which creates no risk of transmission to others. ART also represents creativity and imagination through various forms of expression. The ECHTF is collaborating with the Erie County Department of Health, Community Health Net, PA Thrive Partnership, and Journey to a Trauma Informed Life to bring ART to this year's World AIDS Day event.

The program will include a memorial segment for those no longer with us due to HIV / AIDS. If you would like a loved one to be recognized, you can submit their name via email to Gary Snyder, the chair of the Erie County HIV Task Force, at gsnyder@eriecountypa.gov. Panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be loaned for display at the event as part of a small portion of the world's largest mobile visual project, which recognized over 100,000 lives ended prematurely by HIV. Red ribbons for awareness will be provided to wear in conjunction with red ribbons with names written upon them, which will be displayed on the library lobby windows for the month of December.

The ECHTF is a collaboration of local organizations and individuals dedicated to educating, supporting, and advocating for people living with HIV/AIDS, along with preventing the spread of HIV. Today, medications and programs are available to not only prevent HIV transmission but allow individuals to live full, productive lives. For more information, please visit echiv.org for additional information, including the county map of testing locations, clinic services, and free condoms locally or mailed to your home. You may also call 814-315-3375 for info on HIV and the task force. Interested in testing for HIV or STIs? Sexual Health Clinic appointments available on Tuesdays 9am-11am and Wednesdays 1pm-3pm at the Erie County Department of Health. For more information call, 814-451-6700.