Below you will find a collection of resources and updates from our network, our partner organizations and our general community.
Updates from EBGTZ:
Join us on Thursday, August 5, 2-3:30pm for a Linkage & Prevention Network meeting focused on strengthening linkages from the Emergency Department (ED) to PrEP and HIV care, including people who actively use substances. Please click here to register! This East Bay linkage and prevention network meeting will focus on determining how we can improve linkages for people diagnosed with HIV, re-engaging in care or starting PrEP or PEP in the ED, including people with active substance use.
Celebrating the life of Ms. Loren Jones: A virtual memorial service and celebration of Loren’s life will be held on Friday, July 23 at 1pm PST and an in-person service and celebration will be held on Saturday, July 31, 2-4 pm PST in Berkeley. We are grateful for our friends at Positive Women’s Network and WORLD for hosting these events. Click here to register for either or both services. Please visit Loren’s tribute webpage for more information, quotes and community love.
Bay Area, North & Central Coast (BANCC) AIDS Education & Training Center (AETC) has a new director! Longtime Director Amanda Newstetter retired last month and BANCC’s new Director is Mr. Shawn Demmons, MPH. He has been a great ally and collaborator on many of AETC’s activities over the years, most notably as the Capacity Building Assistance Provider (CBA) Team Lead for the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health or in his most current role as CBA Coordinator at the Center for Prevention Studies, both programs within UCSF. Shawn has also worked at programs for other Bay Area institutions, like managing the Black Brothers Esteem program at San Francisco AIDS Foundation and coordinating interventions within the Implementation Science & Evaluation Research Unit at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. He is a longstanding advocate and leader in the queer and transgender community, like serving as the Chair of the Board Directors for the Transgender Law Center and continuing to volunteer with the San Francisco LGBTQ Speaker’s Bureau. Pacific AETC is thrilled to have Shawn join their team!
East Bae Summer is in full swing! In partnership with local businesses and organizations, we have distributed over 200 t-shirts and tote bags. We now have posters for your clinic/organizations. Please email Yamini (yamini@ebgtz.org) if you would like one for your clinic or organization.
On Saturday, June 26th, our network members HEPPAC, Oakland LGBTQ Center and Lifelong hosted a Community Health & Wellness event at the Lake Merritt Pergola in honor of National HIV Testing Day. East Bay Getting to Zero’s youth engagement working group hosted a table in collaboration with Children’s Hospital Oakland, La Clinica de la Raza’s TRUCHA program, Dream Youth Clinic and RYSE Youth Center. Learn more about the event here.
East Bay Getting to Zero was featured in the Bay Area Reporteron the collaborative efforts we’re taking to get to zero new HIV infections. We can’t do this without you! Shoutout to Dr. Demisha Burns from End the Epidemics and WORLD for also being featured. Click here to read the article.
East Bay COVID-19 Updates
The Bay Area has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, but unvaccinated people remain at risk. The Bay Area has seen a 51% increase in case rates in the 2 weeks following the June 15 reopening. We must continue to reach out and support those not yet vaccinated to feel confident and access vaccinations.
On June 28, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of LA County Public Health, announced that the more infectious Delta variant are now half of the variants sequenced in LA County. Across the US, the Delta variant accounted for 20-25% of all new infections at the end of June, a doubling of the proportion in a week’s time. Overall rates are still low compared to the spring and winter and hospitalization and death rates remain low, thanks to people getting vaccinated.
As a result of the increase in Delta variant cases, LA County Public Health “strongly recommends everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places as a precautionary measure.” The LA County mask recommendation, along with vaccinations and natural immunity, are intended to keep community transmission low and avoid more disruptive mandates, such as lockdowns.
On June 22 Dr. Anthony Fauci reported 20.6% of new cases in the U.S. are due to the Delta variant. New data analyses suggest that the Delta variant is doubling in proportion every 2 weeks and will become the dominant virus variant in the US this summer. “The Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19,” Fauci said. Read more variant updates here.
Fortunately, current data shows that being fully vaccinated is still highly effective against hospitalization and symptomatic disease from the Delta variant and other variants of concern thus far. Let’s make sure everyone completes their vaccination doses!
Dr. Rochelle Walensky of the CDC said on Good Morning America, “We are still seeing an uptick of cases in areas of low vaccination, and in that situation we are suggesting that policies be made at the local level.”
Taken altogether, when you are fully vaccinated and out in public, we recommend that you consider the local case and vaccination rates, settings you’ll be in, and your own health status. While vaccinations remain highly effective, you may want to further reduce your risk for mild disease and/or asymptomatic carriage. For example, it may be wise to mask up even if you’re vaccinated in a crowded store or outdoor festival with singing if you’re in a location with high case rates and low vaccination rates to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 even further. People who are immunosuppressed and/or unvaccinated are recommended to wear masks whenever out in public. Check out this COVID risk calculator to figure out the risk level for your situation.
On June 15, CA Governor Newsom ended the “stay home order” to reopen California’s activities and economy. New public health orders effective June 15 end the Blueprint system, capacity limits on businesses, most distancing requirements, and masking requirements for fully vaccinated people in most settings. Only mega events (5,000+ people indoors or 10,000+ people outdoors) are required by public health orders to check for vaccination or negative tests. Businesses and workplaces can choose to have stricter requirements. Masks are still required for unvaccinated people in indoor public settings and for everyone in public transport, schools, childcare, healthcare, correctional and shelter settings.
For more information on COVID-19, case rates and vaccination access, please read our COVID Update webpage here.
East Bay Opportunities: Jobs
Lifelong Medical Careis looking for an HIV PrEP Navigator. The HIV PrEP Navigator provides quality and comprehensive HIV/STI Health Education, HIV counseling and testing, and facilitates the initiation of PrEP and retention in services. Learn more about the opportunity here.
Human Impact Partners is hiring a new team member to join the capacity building team -- they are looking for someone with a passion for racial justice via organizational change plus skills in communication principles to make clear, usable guidance for our public health partners. Learn more about the opportunity here.
La Clinica de la Raza is currently hiring AmeriCorps Health Educators and a Case Manager. Learn more about the Americorps Health Education Program here and the Case Manager 1 position here.
The California Department of Public Health is hiring for a few positions. They are recruiting for:
A Research Data Analyst 3 position through the University of California San Francisco. This position will help manage and implement a new CDC hepatitis C surveillance and prevention grant. Learn more here.
A Public Health Informaticist position hired through UCSF to work on the CDC hepatitis surveillance and prevention grant and help improve HIV/STD/HCV data systems, surveillance reports and build new ones. Learn more about this opportunity here.
A Research Scientist 1 position. This position supports the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) mission and strategic plan by overseeing and supporting data collection, analysis, evaluation, and research activities to assist the Care Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) Section, ADAP Care Evaluation and Informatics Branch, and the HIV Care Branch. Learn more about the opportunity here.
Asian Health Services is looking for a Community Health Advocate to help plan and implement advocacy activities through patient and community education and engagement. Learn more about the position here.
East Bay Opportunities: Funding
The Citi Foundation first launched Community Progress Makers in 2015, with the goal of providing unrestricted grant support to community change agents who were working to catalyze economic opportunity for underserved communities across the United States. In 2021, the Citi Foundation is committing an additional $25MM in a third iteration of Community Progress Makers focusing on supporting local community organizations that are advancing racial equity by breaking down silos and connecting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to greater social and economic opportunity across the United States. Learn more and register to apply here.
The Fund for Trans Generations (FTG) is committed to providing rapid response funding to trans-led organizations responding to their community’s rising needs. They are still accepting requests for COVID-19 specific funding. These grants, which range between $2,000 and $10,000, are processed quickly and without strings to meet the pressing needs of trans communities of color. To learn more and apply, click here.
Silicon Valley Community Foundation is currently accepting proposals for youth-serving organizations in the Bay Area. Applications for the fund are due July 16th. Learn more about the opportunity here. The Rodan + Fields Youth Empowerment Fund will offer program grants to youth-serving 501(c)3 nonprofits that focus on any of the following causes:
Social justice and racial equity
Mental health
Career readiness and life skills training
Environmental conservation and stewardship
True North Leadership program is open to applicants. It is a program of the 1440 Foundation and is designed to help build authentic leaders. It is a 6 day, 5 night leadership retreat. Learn more about the opportunity here.
East Bay Opportunities: Youth
Join our partners UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and Oakland LGBTQ Center for monthly sessions of ‘Real Talk About Sex’ open to LGBTQ folks under 25 years. For additional information, contact Ezra at ezra.Bisom-Rapp@ucsf.edu
East Bay Opportunities: Events
PAETC is hosting the next HIV Learning Network on July 8 @ 12 Noon titled Challenging Structural Racism in HIV Care, by Dr. Monica Hahn. Learn more about the event and register here.
The African American HIV University (AAHU) is the Black AIDS Institute’s comprehensive training and leadership development initiative, designed to increase knowledge, decrease stigma and strengthen workforce capacity and engagement, ultimately to address and end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black American communities. The AAHU model comprises 7 interconnected components, all designed to strengthen the HIV workforce. Applications are open now. Learn more and apply here.
United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health will host a quarterly Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) stakeholder webinar designed to:
● Provide updates on major federal activities related to the implementation of the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative.
● Highlight ways to improve the scale up and use of harm reduction models including Syringe Service Programs (SSPs).
● Opportunity for question and answer from major community members and government officials. Join the quarterly Stakeholder Webinar on Wednesday, July 14, 11-12:30 pm. To register, please click here.
Other resources
In Black AIDS Institute's latest segment of Black Voices Matter, President and CEO of the organization, Raniyah Copeland sat down with POSE star, Billy Porter, who recently shared publicly that he had been living with HIV for 14 years. Hear about his journey toward healing from trauma, defeating stigma, and how sharing the truth has set him free.
NMAC is hosting a series of free summer virtual trainings open to anyone. See below:
Improving Collaborations (Linkage and Retention network)
Innovative Models (Testing and Prevention network)
PrEP Navigator network
Youth and Youth-serving Provider network
Poz Plus: People Living with HIV advisory group
Housing work group
Equity task force
We are so grateful for your commitment to HIV services and advocacy during this time of multiple crises. Thank you for all that you do for our communities!
Sophy, Sami and Yamini
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Sophy S. Wong, MD, Director
Sami Lubega, MD, Prevention Director
Yamini Oseguera-Bhatnagar, Program Manager East Bay Getting to Zero
