Sahir House Newsletter June 2019 Liverpool joins Fast-Track Cities Initiative Cities bear a large share of the global HIV burden. While offering promise to millions of people, cities are also home to deep, and in some places growing, inequity. In places with large HIV epidemics, the numbers of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in urban areas are so high that effective city-level action is likely to influence national outcomes. Even where an HIV epidemic is smaller, cities are home to large numbers of people belonging to key populations at higher risk of HIV infection but which often receive limited attention in HIV programs. As urban populations continue to rapidly grow, cities will contend with growing HIV epidemics if urgent and effective action is not taken. The Fast-Track Cities Initiative is a global partnership between the City of Paris, International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS (UNAIDS), and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), in collaboration with local, national, regional, and international partners and stakeholders . The initiative was launched on World AIDS Day 2014 in Paris, where mayors from 27 cities in over 50 countries convened to sign the Paris Declaration on Fast-Track Cities a (Paris Declaration) committing to accelerate and scale-up their local AIDS responses. Additional cities have subsequently signed the Paris Declaration; in the UK, cities signed up so far are: Brighton, London, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow. meant to build upon, strengthen, and leverage existing HIV-specific and -related programs and resources to: 1. Attain 90-90-90 targets Ensure that at least 90% of people living with HIV (PLHIV) know their status Improve access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) for people living with HIV to 90% Increase to 90% the proportion of people living with HIV on anti-retroviral treatments with undetectable viral load (U=U) 2. Increase utilization of combination HIV prevention services 3. Reduce to zero the negative impact of stigma and discrimination 4. Establish a common, web-based platform to allow for real-time monitoring of progress There is no additional funding that comes automatically when signing up to the Fast Track Cities initiative, but it does shine a spotlight on HIV and provide an opportunity to re-examine services and prevention activities. Liverpool’s commitment to the initiative was made at St George’s Hall on World AIDS Day, 1.12.2018. Representatives from Liverpool City Council, Public Health, Royal Liverpool Hospital and Sahir House took part, along with a member of Sahir House’s positive speakers group. Sahir House staff, volunteers and service users are already playing a key role in the Fast Track City work in Liverpool and there will be more opportunities to get involved during the year. More information can be found at: http://www.fast-trackcities.org/about NHS Liverpool CCG at the highest level are looking for a Public and Patient Involvement Lay Member for the Governing Body working 4 days a month at £312.50 per day. CCGs are responsible for commissioning services for all of the patients registered with their member GP practices and for arranging emergency and urgent care services within their geographical area. Lay Members are strategic and impartial, providing an external view of our work that is removed from the day-to-day running of the organisation. As with all our Governing Body members, you will have a key responsibility in ensuring the CCG has a strong focus on improving health outcomes, addressing inequalities and delivering value for the population of Liverpool. This role will help to ensure that, in all aspects of the CCG’s business the public voice of the local population is heard and that opportunities are created and protected for patient and public empowerment in the work of the CCG. You can read the full details and how to apply here. Note: This is not specific to HIV and is a general info bulletin from Liverpool CCG raising much needed funds for their chosen charities and good causes. The Walk follows the Wirral coastline from Seacombe Ferry on the River Mersey to Wirral Country Park Visitor Centre at Thurstaston, a distance of 15 miles. It is a fun event for walkers of all ages and abilities. Its main attraction, apart from the exercise and the opportunity to view the beautiful Wirral coastline, is that Walkers can raise money through sponsorship for Sahir House. If you would like to support Sahir House and walk with the Sahir House strollers please contact Serena Cavanagh for a sponsor form and link to the online donations page for the walk. So dust off those walking shoes and invite, enroll, persuade, cajole family and friends into joining you for a great day out whilst raising money for Sahir House. Date: Sunday 23rd June 2019 Registration: from 8.30 - 10.30am at Seacombe Ferry Start: Seacombe Ferry Finish: Wirral Country Park Visitor Centre at Thurstaston Distance: 15 miles. Interim completion points at 4, and 10 miles Cost: The Registration Fee is £5 per walker and £1 per child aged 10 and under Car Parking: Parking is available at Thurstaston from 8.00am on the day of the Walk. The car park will close by 5.30 pm. Return Trip: Buses are available between 12.30 pm and 5.30 pm from Thurstaston to West Kirby Station (£1 donation) and Thurstaston to Seacombe Ferry (£3 donation) LCR Pride Foundation has revealed the dates and location for the 2019 Pride festival, along with its new identity – Pride in Liverpool. The free festival will return to the Tithebarn Street site in the city centre on Saturday 27th July with multiple stages of live entertainment, a dedicated youth zone and whole host of inclusive activities, stalls and food and drink vendors. The fun will continue on Sunday 28th July with more activities taking place at a soon-to-be revealed city centre location. Festival goers will also be invited to March with Pride along the traditional route from St George’s Hall, finishing at Moorfields. Those wishing to march can sign up to the LCR Pride Foundation mailing list to be notified when registration opens. Pride in Liverpool 2019 will be the first festival delivered by the recently-established LCR Pride Foundation. Co-chairs Andi Herring and John Bird said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support shown to the LCR Pride Foundation since its launch at the start of the year and are excited to now be able to reveal the 2019 festival dates. “Planning for this year’s Pride in Liverpool is well underway and we are looking forward to revealing more details in the coming weeks.” For more information visit www.lcrpride.co.uk https://www.lcrpride.co.uk/pride-in-liverpool-2019-dates-announced UK Black Pride UK Black Pride returns on Sunday 7 July, 2019 and to mark UK Black Pride’s continued growth, the celebration moves to a larger location: Haggerston Park in east London. The team has been working hard to find a new home for UK Black Pride and have taken into consideration accessibility, public transport links, diversity of the local area and the borough’s historical significance. Find out more here https://www.ukblackpride.org.uk/ Free Liverpool at Sahir House for staff, volunteers and service- users. This support includes: 12 weeks free behavioural support/smoking cessation classes Range of products to help you quit smoking (free to those qualifying for free prescriptions) Free carbon monoxide readings(ie: carbon monoxide in blood) Wa are considering a drop-in event open to staff, volunteers and service-users to gage interest and obtain information. If enough interest, Sahir House will host a smoking cessation course (need at least 6 people, there’s no cost) and signpost interested individuals to local courses across Mersey- side. For further information please contact [email protected] or [email protected] Background: An aim of the Macmillan LGBT Cancer Programme Merseyside is to identify and address cancer-causing behaviours including smoking. How can we promote this to others if we do not do it at the organisation where we are based? We wish to encourage and support those staff, volunteers and service-users who smoke but wish to stop. It is not about brow-beating everyone that smokes to stop. Individuals have to want to stop. Smoking is one of the most preventable health issues Smoking has a range of health effects including cancers (lung, kidney, larynx, head and neck, breast, bladder, oesophagus, pancreas, stomach and others), emphysema, dementia, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke LGBT people smoke more than their heterosexual and cis-gendered counterparts People living with HIV smoke more and can experience worse health issues than the rest of the population Some info and facts The reason for the high prevalence of smoking within LGBT and HIV-positive communities is hard to determine, but probably due to a number of factors: “Minority Stress” is an issue in many health inequalities. It can be described as: “the idea that people from disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds experience long-term stress as a result of factors associated with such an identity.” So homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, anti-HIV stigma, heterosexism, hate crime, etc all contribute to stress. One way that individuals deal with stress is to smoke (though there is evidence that smoking actually increase stress). LGBT people and people living with HIV are disproportionately more likely to experience mental health problems. People with mental health problems are more likely to smoke. LGBT specific spaces are often bars and clubs where people are more likely to smoke LGBT people are more likely to drink alcohol and drinking can act as a trigger for smoking Smoking has been sexualised or become a fetish by some members of the LGBT population LGBT people are more likely to be homeless and 77% of homeless people smoke smoke if they are LGB, trans or living with HIV and from a black or minority ethnic background or disabled HIV and smoking: Smoking is the main risk factor for heart disease in people with HIV.