Special promotional content provided by UW Health.
Did you know that it’s been 40 years since the start of the HIV epidemic in the US? So much has changed over the past 4 decades. There’s been amazing progress in HIV care and prevention that has transformed the epidemic. We now have the resources to prevent HIV and effectively treat people living with HIV to help them live the long and healthy lives they deserve. We have the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to help people living with HIV who are uninsured or underinsured. Ending the HIV epidemic is within our grasp. However we still have work to do.
Something that hasn’t changed much in the last 40 years is HIV stigma. People are missing out on these advances because of HIV stigma and discrimination. This World AIDS Day, December 1, let’s take time to commemorate this important milestone. It’s also an opportunity to honor the 38 million people worldwide living with HIV, including almost 7,000 people here in Wisconsin. Help us look forward to how you can support people living with or at risk for HIV and make it easier for them to stay healthy and live their best life.
From November 24 through December 3, UW Health, in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University, will be hosting and promoting multiple virtual and in-person events to help raise awareness of and end HIV stigma in our community. We invite you to join us to honor the progress we’ve made and challenge each other on the progress we need to still make. If we all speak up against HIV stigma, we can stop the HIV epidemic together.
To sign up to receive all the details about our planned events, please go to uwhealth.org/redribbon21.
Calendar of events:
Wednesday, Nov 24, 5:30–7:30 pm: Talkin’ ‘Bout my Generation: The HIV Pandemic at 40. This Zoom discussion will take place during the Teens Like Us (TLU) weekly meeting. Guest speakers representing different generations will share what’s changed with HIV over the last 40 years and how this affects their generation’s views on HIV and sexual health.
*TLU is a closed group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth ages 13-18.
Monday, Nov 29, all day: UW Health Instagram takeover with interactive content and information on HIV care and prevention. Watch videos from UW Health staff and community members making their pledge to stop HIV stigma.
Create your own pledge video and upload to social media using this hashtag: #StopHIVStigmaWI
Tuesday, Nov 30, 6-7 pm: A Day in the Life: The Red Ribbon. This Zoom event will attempt to pull back the curtain on living with HIV and caring for and about people living with HIV (PLWH). The panel will include people from the UW Health HIV Care and Prevention Program and from Virginia Commonwealth University’s HIV Program in Richmond, VA.
Wednesday, Dec 1, dawn-dusk: Visit Bascom Hill on the UW-Madison campus to see a visual symbol of the impact of HIV in the community. The display will be located on the lower end of Bascom Hill, next to N. Park Street and between Music Hall and Science Hall in Madison, WI.
Wednesday, Dec 1, 6-7 pm: Community Bingo. This free virtual Bingo will give people a chance to remember, honor, and enjoy being in community. This will be a joint event with folks from WI and VA. Special guest MC to be announced. Prizes will be awarded to Bingo winners. Pre-registration is required.
Thursday, Dec 2, 6-7 pm: A Day in the Life: El lazo rojo. This Zoom event will be held in Spanish. The panel discussion will focus on the unique aspects of HIV in the Latinx community. Question and answer will follow the panel discussion.
Friday, Dec 3, 8-9 am: UW-Madison Department Medicine Grand Rounds (via Zoom) – A virtual grand rounds featuring Carmen Logie, MSW, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Global Health Equity and Social Justice with Marginalized Populations. Dr. Logie will talk about her research on intersectional stigma and its sexual, reproductive and mental health impacts, with a focus on HIV. Continuing education credits available.
To sign up to receive all the details about our planned events, please go to uwhealth.org/redribbon21.
