Changing Youth and Young Adult HIV Prevention and Testing from Risk Reduction to Person Centered Sexual Health Conversations
July 7, 2017
Denver, CO
Introduction
Sexual Health based HIV testing is a non-linear method for HIV prevention. It provides client centered conversations that invite each individual to consider their sexual health in the context of providing an HIV test. The sexual health model dis-aggregates specific components of HIV prevention and testing into a curriculum of discussions centered upon six sexual health principles operationalized from international definitions of sexual health (Braun-Harvey & Vigorito, 2016). Sexual health based HIV prevention and testing hypothesizes that people place high personal value upon opportunities to contemplate and discuss how they balance safety from HIV while making choices about pursuing their sexual pleasure. SAMHSA funded a San Antonio based team of HIV professionals, researchers and sexual health advocates to develop, implement and measure outcomes for a sexual health based HIV prevention and testing program. This presentation will describe the key elements of the “Unify” program goals, design, “About U” sexual health HIV prevention curriculum, study evaluation and team collaboration with Texas HIV training, substance abuse and HIV testing professionals.