Social Networking in Response to HIV/AIDS - Conversations with AIDS.gov
At the 9th Annual 2012 National African American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS and other Health Disparities (AAMSM), AIDS.gov spoke with Kalyani Sanchez, On-site Supervisor at the David Geffen Testing Center at Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) of New York City about a social networking outreach program it has piloted called the Leaders in Networking and Knowledge (L.I.N.K.) Project.
The program uses social applications such as Facebook, instant messaging, Facetime, Skype, and more to promote and encourage HIV testing. The L.I.N.K. project also provides clients with the resources they need to extend the reach of HIV information to their social networks.
“It’s community taking care of community, getting individuals to get their friends, family, sexual partners, drug-using partners tested, and identifying those individuals that are newly diagnosed and linking them to care,” said Sanchez.
Not only is the project using social networks to deliver the message of getting tested, but it is using mobile testing sites to remove some of the barriers to HIV testing. “We know that there’s a stigma surrounding testing centers,” said Sanchez, “so what we do is bring testing to them in places like parties or even video game challenges…It’s just making testing part of the norm.”
During the pilot of the program, they tested over 900 young MSM — many of whom did not know their status beforehand. To learn more about the L.I.N.K. project view the interview with Mr. Sanchez below.
The program uses social applications such as Facebook, instant messaging, Facetime, Skype, and more to promote and encourage HIV testing. The L.I.N.K. project also provides clients with the resources they need to extend the reach of HIV information to their social networks.
“It’s community taking care of community, getting individuals to get their friends, family, sexual partners, drug-using partners tested, and identifying those individuals that are newly diagnosed and linking them to care,” said Sanchez.
Not only is the project using social networks to deliver the message of getting tested, but it is using mobile testing sites to remove some of the barriers to HIV testing. “We know that there’s a stigma surrounding testing centers,” said Sanchez, “so what we do is bring testing to them in places like parties or even video game challenges…It’s just making testing part of the norm.”
During the pilot of the program, they tested over 900 young MSM — many of whom did not know their status beforehand. To learn more about the L.I.N.K. project view the interview with Mr. Sanchez below.
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