ORLANDO | HI-fiVe!, the LGBT+ Center Orlando HIV support group, is launching an eight-week educational workshop starting next month focused on achieving a full understanding of HIV in Central Florida.
The interactive workshop will run eight consecutive weeks, two times per year. The first series is in the fall starting Sept. 22 and then again in the spring.
“The idea is to create a support group that is fun and informative,” says The Center Orlando’s Daniel Fernandez de Castro, who will act as group facilitator for the program.
Each week will focus on one aspect of HIV including criminal law surrounding the virus, prevention, treatments, diet and exercise, community resources and more.
“We will talk about HIV history, how to have a healthier lifestyle around HIV; we will discus the different kinds of medications, including the new injections,” Fernandez de Castro says. “The hope is by the end of the workshop we have a group of HIV advocates ready to go out into the community and educate everyone about HIV.”
The workshop comes as Central Florida is experiencing higher than average HIV infection numbers. Data released last year from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that more than 50% of the new HIV infections in the U.S. were in the south with Orlando ranking third for highest rate of new infections behind only Miami and Atlanta.
The HI-fiVe! Workshop is free to attend and participation is confidential.
For more information, you can email Daniel Fernandez de Castro at Daniel@TheCenterOrlando.org.
