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Lutheran Family Health Centers/Lutheran Medical Center
150 55th Street Brooklyn, NY 11220
(781) 630-7171 (Phone)
(718) 630-7295 (Fax)

Lutheran Family Health Centers is a federally qualified health center network dedicated to reducing barriers and improving access to health and community services for the medically underserved communities of southwest Brooklyn. It also has extensive experience in providing services to people affected by HIV and AIDS.

Project SAFE
$247,874
Kathy Hopkins,
(718) 630-7171
khopkins@lmcmc.com

Abstract

The purpose of the project is to promote HIV awareness and prevention among youth. More specifically, the project will provide ongoing HIV/AIDS prevention, education and testing aimed at at-risk youth, youth oriented communication to disseminate information and use of a peer-to-peer model of outreach and influence. The project will address the long-term problem of disproportionately high rates of HIV/AIDS among at-risk youth of color in Brooklyn. Recent data indicates that Central Brooklyn has 12.9 percent of Brooklyn's total population, but 25 percent of those people living in Brooklyn with HIV/AIDS, making it the zip code cluster with the highest rate of HIV in Brooklyn. The primary target population for this initiative will be African-American youth in Central Brooklyn. Project SAFE will promote HIV awareness and prevention among youth with three main components - (1) ongoing HIV/AIDS prevention, education and testing aimed at reaching at-risk youth, (2) innovative, youth-oriented technology approaches, which enables instant communication with the target population on HIV-related information and (3) youth peer educators who will outreach, educate and influence other young people with HIV prevention and testing information. The program expects the following outcomes:

• An increase knowledge of HIV/AIDS transmission, prevention and testing,
• An increase in awareness of vulnerability,
• A decrease in risky behaviors,
• An increase in the skills of youth to conduct peer-to-peer education,
• An increase in knowledge of HIV status,
• An increase in connectivity of care and services for HIV infected youth and
• An increase in social skills of peer educators.

• Attendance sheets for HIV testing days,
• Referral sheets documenting referrals to outside programs,
• Attendance sheets documenting meetings between peer education programs and social service agencies and
• Changes in youth behavior and knowledge related to HIV/AIDS.

OMH objective(s) towards which the project's results most contribute:

• Increased awareness, education, & outreach to address racial/ethnic minority health & health disparities problems
• Improved access to, and appropriate utilization of, health & other community-based services and systems through user-centered design for racial/ethnic minorities (e.g., health IT, culturally/ linguistically appropriate services, service provider education/ training, workforce diversity)