S3EP8: Let's talk about PrEP
Hello friends! I hope February is treating you with peace, kindness and love. February is known as the month of romance mainly because of Valentines Day (or as my friend called it, 'Singles Awareness Month").
This month, I came across a Cosmopolitan article for their February issue that sparked my interest. The headline read, The Top 3 Reasons 18- to 34-Year-Olds Aren’t Wearing Condoms.
Unfortunately, I wasn't too surprised at the findings Cosmo Magazine got from their study. Many participants felt that STD's weren't a big deal anymore because of the antibiotics we have available but few forget that for conditions such as HIV, we still don't have a cure yet. Moreover, as a fellow millennial, I know we are known as the hook-up generation but I think we can and should definitely do better at protecting ourselves and keeping it safe with our partners.
One of the HIV prevention tools that I find many don't know about it PrEP.
PrEP, is a daily pill that helps prevent people who are HIV negative from getting the HIV infection. If used as prescribed, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by 92% and when combined with condoms and other prevention methods, provides even greater protection. Sounds awesome right?! Well the issue is, many people don't know about it, can't get access or think it only benefits certain people. So for this month's episode, Kevin Herwig joined us from the Community Research Initiative (CRI) to talk all about PrEP and how CRI can help us get access to it.
Kevin was so kind and patient with us and really broke down the brief history of PrEP, how it can tremendously help our communities worldwide and how stigma is unfortunately still keeping people from connecting with the resources they need.
Look through our photo gallery for some quick facts about PrEP.
Watch the FULL episode on our Youtube Channel here and please feel free to connect with the Community Research Initiative to find out how they can not only help you access and help pay for PrEP but also how to navigate the healthcare system (which is forever changing).
Stay connected and learn more about the Community Research Initiative and how you can get involved by visiting their website at www.crine.org or calling them at 617-502-1700.
This episode, our host also got to channel her inner Bob Ross and created a LIVE painting in honor of the HIV movement, Art Activism & Black History Month. See the segment on our Youtube channel here.
We hope you'll find some good information and empowerment through this episode. Please stop stigma, get tested and get in the know.
Looking forward to bringing you more sizzling talk, entertainment and portraits to uplift your soul next month! Tune in for our LIVE episode on March 21st @ 8:30PM
