Rhode Island Community Planning Group

Rhode Island Community Planning Group For HIV Prevention

FEBRUARY 9, 2006

Community Group Honors "Unsung Heroes"
Releases Update to Rhode Island's HIV Prevention Plan

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Photos courtesy of
Peter Goldberg Photography

Dee-Dee Williams, RICPG Co-Chair, delivers welcoming remarks at the 2006 Annual Meeting.

Vinnie Velazquez presents the RICPG 2006 Legislative Leadership Award to Senator Pichardo.

Martha Powers, a clinical social worker at The Miriam Hospital, delivers her acceptance speech after being awarded the RICPG 2006 HIV Leadership/Unsung Hero Award.

Elisa DelBonis presents the RICPG 2006 HIV Leadership/Unsung Hero Award to Elizabeth Kretchman, a senior public health promotion specialist at the Department of Mental Health, Retardation, and Hospitals.

Donté Threats, a youth who has volunteered his time to educate peers about safer sex and co-chairs the RICPG's YOUTH Task Force, accepts the RICPG 2006 HIV Leadership/Unsung Hero Award from RICPG member Nathalie Mena.

Dee-Dee Williams, RICPG Co-Chair, presents the RICPG 2006 HIV Leadership/Unsung Hero Award to Bobby Ducharme, a research assistant at Miriam Hospital.

Stephanie Howie, RICPG Co-Chair, and Jacinta Pena present the 2006 HIV Leadership/Unsung Hero Award to Luz Betancur, an outreach worker for the MAP Outreach Program.

2006 RICPG Members

CRANSTON, R.I., Feb. 9, 2006 — Six Rhode Islanders working to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS will be honored by the Rhode Island Community Planning Group for HIV Prevention this evening with the Annual HIV Leadership Awards. Among those receiving the award will be Senator Juan Pichardo of Providence. The awards will be presented during the RICPG's Annual Meeting at the Shriners Imperial Ballroom.

The RICPG will also release an update to Rhode Island's HIV Prevention Plan, including the latest data on HIV and AIDS in the state. The Annual Meeting, sponsored by the RICPG and the Rhode Island Department of Health Office of HIV/AIDS & Viral Hepatitis, is expected to draw more than 125 people.

"HIV and AIDS is a community-wide problem," said David R. Gifford, M.D., M.P.H., Director of Health. "This forum provides a unique opportunity to bring Rhode Island's communities together to recognize our leaders, celebrate our accomplishments, and share our next steps in HIV and AIDS prevention. Our top priorities for HIV and AIDS include early detection of HIV-positive persons and referral to treatment, promotion of care services for persons living with HIV, and education to prevent HIV infection for persons who are at high risk for HIV and AIDS."

Senator Pichardo, who will receive the 2006 HIV Legislative Leadership Award, was elected to the Senate in 2002, the first Hispanic to serve in that chamber. He currently serves on the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Joint Legislative Committee on Health Care Oversight. In 2003, he was named Senior Deputy Majority Leader on minority issues. In this role, he has focused his efforts on health care disparities.

"I am thrilled to receive this honor from the RICPG, which brings together so many talented people of such diverse backgrounds to work together to combat HIV," Senator Pichardo said. "I will continue to work with local government and community leaders to close racial and ethnic gaps in health care access and treatment, including access to HIV and AIDS services."

The other recipients of the HIV Leadership Award are five "unsung heroes" working to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS on the community level:

Martha Powers, a clinical social worker at The Miriam Hospital
Elizabeth Kretchman, a senior public health promotion specialist at the Department of Mental Health, Retardation, and Hospitals
Donté Threats, a youth who has volunteered his time for years to educate peers about safer sex and who co-chairs the RICPG's YOUTH Task Force
Bobby Ducharme, a research assistant at The Miriam Hospital who performs HIV rapid testing in community settings
Luz Betancur, an outreach worker for the MAP Outreach Program who has been instrumental in providing HIV prevention services to a diverse community in need

"It is my privilege to receive this year's RICPG HIV Leadership Award. Infectious disease issues that affect Rhode Islanders, and injecting drug users in particular, have become my passion," Kretchman said. "Our injecting drug user population has a multitude of issues that far exceed their substance abuse problems. This work continues to be very important to me, and I am honored to receive recognition for my efforts."

The RICPG's update to the HIV Prevention Plan serves as guidance for community-based agencies and organizations that apply for funds from the Rhode Island Department of Health, identifies the high-risk populations being targeted for prevention efforts, profiles the prevalence and incidence of HIV and AIDS in the state, and makes recommendations for action.

The update identifies the following as priority populations for prevention efforts:

men who have unprotected sex with men and/or men who have unprotected sex with men and women (MSM)
injecting drug users and other substance users and their partners (IDU)
women who have unprotected sex with men
youth who have unprotected sex and/or engage in alcohol use and other drug use
HIV-positive and high-risk individuals who do not know their HIV status

Among the findings of the epidemiological profile, which covers the period through 2004, the latest year for which data are available:

There have been more than 2,600 cases of AIDS reported in Rhode Island.
In the years 2003 and 2004, there were more than 300 newly diagnosed cases of HIV in Rhode Island; 2004 saw the largest number of newly diagnosed cases of HIV in the last five years.
Among the new cases of HIV since 2000, 39% were White, 32% were Black, 28% were Hispanic, and 2% were Asian.

About the Rhode Island Community Planning Group for HIV Prevention (RICPG)
The RICPG is a coalition of community members who work together to help prevent the spread of HIV in Rhode Island. The diverse group includes those living with HIV/AIDS, their partners and families, service providers, state department representatives, and concerned citizens. The mission of the RICPG is to empower the community through strategic planning, community engagement, and the education of key stakeholders. The RICPG was established in 1994 by the Rhode Island Department of Health Office of HIV & AIDS, through a mandate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).