12/7/07 – REACH LA and the HIV YOUTH Coalition of LA County bring HIV Awareness for young women of color to Compton
HIV YOUTH Coalition of LA County (HYLAC) held its annual conference at the El Camino Compton Community Educational Center on December 7th, 2007. REACH LA along with coalition members from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Whittier Rio Hondo AIDS Project, East LA Women’s Center, LA County Department of Epidemiology, Planned Parenthood-Pasadena, ALTAMED and El Camino College Compton Community Educational Center developed a unique conference opportunity that would work towards bridging the gaps between HIV prevention, reproductive healthcare, substance use, criminal justice, intimate partner violence, HIV testing and care and create an action plan for best practices and integration for young women of color, ages 12-24. Providers Addressing Young Women’s Health Disparities: A Call to Action brought together HIV service providers, reproductive justice advocates, mental health, domestic violence, substance abuse professionals, students and community leaders to develop a 5-step integration plan in five key reproductive justice areas – reproductive health services, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health and juvenile/adult incarceration. Conference attendees, led by volunteer HIV and/or issue area professionals, facilitated lively and proactive discussions for reducing infection rates among young women of color. Each issue area presented their recommendations to a panel consisting of representation from the LA County Office of AIDS Programs and Policy, the City of Los Angeles, LA County Office of Women’s Health, Association of Planned Parenthood Leaders in Education, Office of the Speaker of the House Assemblyman Fabian Nunez, LA County Sheriff Office, LA Unified School District and the California Endowment. The report back plans presented will be compiled by the HIV Youth Coalition of LA County and disseminated to attendees at a later date.
The opening of the conference was highlighted by monologue performances by Diann Marchlewski & Maureen Piquette from the REACH LA Women’s Writing Workshop under the direction of Cathy Kay. G2G Leader Jasmin Harpe’s video about fears of seeking reproductive health care was also featured.