PWACU to Hold Conference for Utahns with HIV/AIDS
On Oct. 16, the People with AIDS Coalition of Utah will hold its 22nd annual Living with AIDS Conference for Utahns living with, and affected by, the disease, as well as their loved ones, caregivers and HIV/AIDS service providers.
For the first time in its history, the day-long conference will be held at the Jewish Community Center on 2 North Medical Drive.
“It’s a beautiful building. We’re really excited to be there,” said PWACU Executive Director Toni Johnson.
As in past years, the conference will include several sessions, each designed to give attendees updates on the latest in HIV research and care, and tips on taking care of their physical, emotional and mental health.
The conference regularly brings in doctors, pharmacists and drug company representatives to lead its sessions. In the morning, ViiV Healthcare pharmacist Deanna L. Merrill will give a presentation about HIV and bone loss (the GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer-owned global AIDS health care company is one of the 2010 conference’s sponsors).
“They have found that people with HIV suffer bone loss. It’s like getting osteoporosis at a much earlier age,” said Johnson, who is HIV positive herself. “Our bone density decreases and people tend to break bones much easier. I have clients that are getting fractures and breaks while doing things that shouldn’t break your bones.”
Johnson said that researchers discussed these new findings on the connection between HIV and bone loss aft 2009’s Retrovirus and Opportunistic Infections conference.
“This is a new thing and we wanted to discuss this to give people ideas on how to protect themselves,” she said.
After lunch, PWACU Writing Group facilitator Agustina Perez will lead the conference’s mental health workshop: “Who Me? Stressed?” In this session, said Johnson, participants will learn “about things like exercise, nutrition and how to keep stress at bay.”
“[Perez] has this great personality that makes people feel welcome and wanted and comfortable. So that makes her a wonderful facilitator,” she said.
The day’s final workshop will be an update on HIV and antiretroviral drugs by Dr. Kristen Ries, the first Utah doctor to work with HIV-positive patients in the disease’s early days.
“She hasn’t done our medical update for a few years now because her schedule didn’t permit it, and we’re very happy to have her back,” said Johnson, noting that Ries’ update would include new information about the link between HIV and chronic inflammation “and about new drugs coming down the pipeline.”
Johnson will also give a short presentation on PWACU’s new programs, like its writing group and free haircuts for clients. She will also discuss the youth HIV prevention program which PWACU plans to open in 2011.
“I feel that PWACU has an obligation to bring prevention to our community’s youth which is not currently being done,” she said.
The program, Focus on Youth + Impact, will be a series of nine sessions devoted to teaching youth and their parents and guardians about HIV. The first session, said Johnson, will educate parents about how to look for behaviors that put their children at risk for getting HIV and how to talk about prevention. The following seven sessions will cover such things as obtaining information about sexual health, communicating assertively, and how to show affection and love without having sex. The last session will be a youth-lead community project.
Registration for the Living With AIDS conference will begin at 9:30 on Oct. 16 at the Jewish Community Center. Scholarships are available for Utahns with HIV/AIDS and all who wish to attend but who can’t afford the $25 fee. For more information visit pwacu.org.