Prevention Education and Community Health Initiatives
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Iris House offers a wide range of prevention programs and outreach education for people in our communities.
CLEAR- Choosing Life: Empowerment! Action! Results! is an evidence-based, health promotion intervention for males and females ages 16 and older living with HIV. CLEAR is a client-centered program delivered one-on-one using cognitive behavioral techniques to change behavior. CLEAR enables prevention counselors to individually tailor the intervention to address the unique needs of each client and provides clients with the skills necessary to be able to make healthy choices for their lives. The overall goal of CLEAR is to help clients maintain health, reduce transmission of HIV and other STDs and improve their quality of life. HIV/STI/Hepatitis C Testing Programs HIV/STI/HCV Testing -- Anyone interested in getting tested and knowing their HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and Hepatitis C status. Testing is offered in-house from 10am- 6pm and off-site at many locations. Referrals are provided to anyone in need of medical services, housing, and counseling. Testing is private and free. Adolescent and Youth Programs Listen Up is a program for young Black/Latino straight men and young gay men, 18-24 year old where we talk about the use of drugs and how to protect oneself from HIV- the virus that causes AIDS. The program’s goal is to reduce the use of drug use and HIV infection among young adults and teach them how to talk to their partners about condoms, and ways to change their behavior. YOU! Young, Outstanding and Unique is a program for teens 13-21 years old that offers Teen Prevention Workshops as a way to promote HIV knowledge and ways in which teens can talk with their partners about abstinence, safe sex and condoms. Party with a Purpose – is a fun, unique and valuable way to work with and educate teens about HIV prevention through dance and entertainment activities. Multi-session Prevention Interventions- are educational sessions where teens talk about being proud, not having sex, using condoms and how to talk with friends and partners about being safe. Women's Programs Just for Us is a program for African American and Latina Lesbian/Bi-Sexual women and girls ages 13 and older. Outreach, educational workshops, support groups and referrals to substance use and mental health services are offered by this program. Leading Ladies is a program for Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) providing capacity building assistance for their HIV/AIDS ministries and work within their community. The program covers the following topics: women’s health and HIV education, educational workshops through SISTA and SIHLE interventions to reduce HIV among African American/Latina women ages 14 and older. Empowering Leading Ladies: Two women from the FBO participate in the Leading Ladies Train the Trainer (TOT) and trained to deliver a Women’s Health & Wellness Workshop focused on women’s health and HIV. FBOs with capacity are asked to host a Community Health and Wellness Fairs to include blood pressure, glucose, HIV testing. Successful Healthy Empowered (SHE) Program- provides HIV/STD/HCV prevention strategies for Black/African-American or Latino/a women, who are at high risk for HIV/STD/HCV infection and women who are infected. Services offered include, targeted client recruitment and engagement; HIV testing with linkage to prevention and HIV care services; STD/HCV Screening; Healthy Relationship evidence-based intervention for HIV+ women; PROMISE for High Impact Prevention (HIP) intervention for high-risk negatives; PrEP and PEP education and referrals; and Linkage, Navigation and Retention in services for HIV positive and high risk negative women. WILLOW is a program for straight/ heterosexual women 18-50 years old living with HIV/AIDS and who have been infected with HIV for at least 6 months. WILLOW emphasizes gender pride, how to build trust with other women, how to work with difficult situations and becoming aware of other sexually transmitted infections, how to communicate with their partners about condom use, health and unhealthy relationships Men's Programs Social Network Strategy is a program for Black and Latino gay or bi-sexual youth and men who do not know if they are infected with HIV. The program works with young and adult men who are interested in getting tested and who talk with their friends or partners to do the same. Those that get involved in the program and bring their friends for testing are given gifts cards for each person referred to testing. Listen Up: d-Up. d-Up is a program for African American men ages 18 – 24, and is part of our signature Listen Up / Keep it 100 program, brings men together to discuss issues surrounding healthy living and safe sex. Additionally, it provides a forum for young MSMs and those who identify as gay or bisexual, to learn about HIV and other STDs, monitoring risky behavior and substance use, and providing a safe space to help them develop a better outlook on staying negative. iZone. This program, which is centered around a drop-in center and informal programs on alternating Thursdays, provides a safe space for young and adolescent gay or bisexual men to have a safe, non-sexualized space to discuss issues of concern to them, connect them to care and provide access to services such as housing, mental health, job assistance and education programs. For further information on any of the programs above, please contact Ofelia Barrios, Senior Director of Community Health Initiatives at 212-423-9049 |
