TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Letter From The Executive Director

Calendar of Upcoming Events

MPowerment Coming to Hartford

Army of Women Collaborative Calls for One Million Women to Participate in Breast Cancer Research

Welcome New Board Member Richard Maxwell

“In Other News…” News Clippings and Other Updates From HGLHC

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

On behalf of the Staff and Board of the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective, I want to wish all of our friends a safe, healthy and prosperous 2009.  It promises to be an adventure filled with hope and opportunity.  We hope the new administration in Washington D.C. will work towards a more inclusive view that is willing to partner with the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities.  We are very excited about the new services that we are providing that will have a profound impact on our community.  Read more about them below.
 
In these lean economic times, we are working to develop greater efficiencies in service delivery and improved client outcomes.  To this end, we are participating in the Hartford Foundation of Public Giving Strategic Technology and Building Evaluation Capacity Programs.  Please know that your gift to the Health Collective is always appreciated and used to support mission specific programming.

-Linda Estabrook

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UPCOMING EVENTS

• Bingo has been CANCELLED. Was originally scheduled for January 10, 2009.

• Men’s Health Screening Day: Sat. January 10^th, 9 AM – 2 PM [more info]

• RainbowRoom: Sunday, January 19^th, 3PM – 6PM [more info]

• RR will meet on the third Sunday of every month in 2009.

• January will be an "Open-Mic" event and February will be a Retro-Dance fest. 

• Mpowerment Core Group Meeting:  Thursday, January 22^nd, 7PM – 9PM

• Living Soulfully: Wednesday, January 28th

• Women’s Health Screening Day – March 7

• 7th One Big Event – November 14

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MPOWERMENT COMING TO HARTFORD

The Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective kicked off their Mpowerment Project on December 10, 2008.  After doing a careful community assessment, the HIV Prevention Team has successfully recruited a nucleus of energetic young gay/bisexual men from the great Hartford area.  This group of men will spread the concepts of the Project and create a “ripple effect” which will attract many men to the safe and positive environment of the program.

In 1990 studies were been done about the risk taking behavior of young gay/bisexual men.  It was found that up to 14% of young Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), ages 15-22, were HIV positive!  Additionally it was found that 37% of young MSM reported unprotected anal sex during 1993-1994.  By 1997-1997 that figure had grown to 50 %.  Over 10% of the young men tested are also positive for Hepatitis B!  Along with these findings, there is a large public misconception that the gay community has been saturated with AIDS prevention services.  This myth ignores the fact that, each year, new young men “come out” as gay or bisexual who have not been exposed to the prevention campaigns of previous years. Because of this, HIV prevention for young gay/bisexual men must be ongoing and dynamic.

• Young Men are very concerned with social and self-esteem issues.  A successful HIV prevention intervention for young gay men needs to tie HIV risk-reduction to the satisfaction of other needs, such as developing friendships, having fun and enhancing self-esteem.

• Peer influences are strong among young gay/bisexual men.  Peer pressure is one of the most credible sources of information and effective forms of influence.

• Building healthy community among young gay/bisexual men.  The Mpowerment Project creates setting where young men can express their identities with each other, find support, and band together to take action on issues of importance to them.

• Mpowerment promotes more lasting changes in behavior.  It has been proven that when individuals are actively involved in finding and implementing solutions to their problems, any changes they make in their behavior are more likely to last.

• Community-wide change occurs through interpersonal networks.  The Mpowerment Project facilitates a process for young gay/bisexual men to actively communicate with each other about safer sex and encourage each other to practice it.

• Gay-positive and sex-positive messages encourage behavior change.  Materials produced by the Project show positive images of young gay/bisexual men, which reflect the diversity of the community.  All activities designed to promote safer sex are fun, uplifting, and sec-positive; fear and shame-inducing approaches are avoided.

The next Mpowerment meeting will be Thursday, Jan. 22 from 7 – 9pm at the Health Collective.  For more information or to become involved with Mpowerment, call Bill Petrosky at (860) 278-4163 x11.

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ARMY OF WOMEN COLLABORATIVE CALLS FOR ONE MILLION WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE IN BREAST CANCER RESEARCH

The Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective Supports the Army of Women Project and Encourages Women from All Walks of Life to Participate.  www.armyofwomen.org

Dr. Susan Love, President of the Susan Love Research Foundation and the Avon Foundation established in 1955 have embarked upon a compelling research initiative to conduct breast cancer research. The initiative was launched on the Today Show on October 1, 2008. It has been a long time desire of Dr. Love to enlist the help of one million women including women who are breast cancer survivors or who are currently living with breast cancer to volunteer in a research study to help define and develop a cure for breast cancer. One alarming statistic about breast cancer is that a woman's risk for breast cancer increases as she grows older.

The Love Foundation/Avon Foundation Army of Women Project have collaborated to recruit one million women of varying ages and races to enroll in the research studies. Scientists will be actively partnering with the Love/Avon Army of Women and volunteers will greatly enhance the scientists' research by providing willing subjects test, compare and contrast the date among women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, are currently dealing with the disease or have no previous breast cancer history.

How to Enroll:  Prospective study subjects can register online on the Love/Army of Women website at www.armyofwomen.org. You will be asked to provide basic information such as name, age, and residence. Once registered, volunteers will be contacted via email about available studies. You will be given specific information about the study and its required criteria.

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WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBER RICHARD MAXWELL 

The Rev. Richard Anderson Maxwell, earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and received his M.Div. (Master of Divinity) from Union Theological Seminary in New York City.  In 1998 he received an S.T.M. (Master of Sacred Theology) from General Theological Seminary.  Before becoming the rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Hartford, he was the assistant minister at the Church of the Incarnation in Manhattan.  Before serving at Incarnation he was a postulant and novice at Holy Cross Monastery, the motherhouse of the Order of the Holy Cross an Anglican Benedictine community, in West Park, NY.  While at the monastery he served as a spiritual director and retreat leader.  Also while at the monastery, he met and fell in love with another novice who is now his partner, Paul Kline.  Maxwell and Kline now live in West Hartford with their two cats, Franklin and Lyndon.

Born and raised in Midland, Michigan, Maxwell landed in New York City after his college years to attempt a career in the theater.  This eventually led to a career as a fundraiser at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum, and as a foundation officer at the Charles A. Dana Foundation, before he heeded his call to the priesthood.  Maxwell has been a guest lecturer for NYU and Tufts University classes on public relations and fundraising.  He has done extensive volunteer work with people with AIDS, first with abandoned babies at Harlem Hospital and then as a buddy and team captain at G.M.H.C. (Gay Men’s Health Crisis).  He also served as a reading tutor for second grade students for several years, and is a founding board member and past president of the board of Stephan Koplowitz and Company, an award winning, internationally produced contemporary dance company.

In addition to serving on the board at HGLHC, Maxwell is member of the Bishop and Diocesan Executive Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, and an advisory board member of the Parkville Family Center.

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NEWS CLIPPINGS:

Patricia Miller reports that the dental hygiene students from Tunxis Community College are back at the Collective. In response to a verbal complaint given at a Ryan White Planning Council Meeting, the following notice is on display at the front desk in  both English and Spanish:

“HGLHC Dental Department

To all our Dental Hygiene clients:

The staff of HGLHC all wish to thank you for permitting a Tunxis Dental Hygiene Intern to perfect their skills with you as their client.

Each intern  leaves  our Dental Clinic  with  more knowledge of HIV and more compassion for each HIV+ person. This in turn reduces the stigma of treating HIV + persons in dental offices and clinics throughout Connecticut.

THANK YOU!"

This has been very positively received by our dental clients.

Are you an HIV+ gay or bisexual man?

• What are your plans to live healthfully as a man who has sex with men and who is  diagnosed with HIV? 

• Are you taking positive steps to take care of your health?

• Is managing your sex life important to you?

• Would you like the opportunity to learn from other people living with HIV about the pitfalls of disclosure?

Positively Aware brings together long term survivors living with HIV and those recently diagnosed to share tips and insights. Take this opportunity to restore self-confidence, improve your  health, negotiate safer sex with partners, feel good about yourself!

Our group meets for five sessions, between 6:30-8:30pm, beginning Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at the Health Collective.

Feel better, take care of your health, be clear about safer sex, be at peace within yourself! What’s not to like? If you would like to join this group, or another in the series, please call (860)278-4163 and ask for Liz Yorke (x21) or Bill Petrosky (x 11).

Thank you to all of our OBE Sponsors!

One Big Event was a big success and we could not have done it without the support of our generous sponsors.  We would like to once again acknowledge them for their belief in the work of the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective: