(BPRW) Racism: The Hidden Driver of HIV, Key Focus of Iris House Women’s Summit

New York-based Iris House, an affiliate of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, will host its annual Women as the Face of AIDS Summit on Monday, May 2, 2022 at Bethel Gospel Assembly, 2-26 East 120th Street (between 5th and Madison Ave), while also allowing attendance virtually. Now in its 17th year, the 2022 Summit is themed, “Racism: The Hidden Driver of HIV” and will feature renowned American sociologist and scholar of urban poverty, Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Director of the Center for Racial Justice at the University of Michigan, and author of Remaking a Life: How Women Living with HIV/AIDS Confront Inequality (2019, University of California Press).

(Black PR Wire) NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– New York-based Iris House, an affiliate of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, will host its 17th Annual Women as the Face of AIDS Summit, on Monday, May 2, 2022 at 11:00am. The first summit to be presented since 2019, the organization will offer a hybrid model of the program to allow for in-person and virtual participation. The in-person event will take place at Bethel Gospel Assembly, 2-26 East 120th Street, New York.

As a thought leader in the field of women and HIV, the Iris House Summit draws participants and attendees from around the country and internationally, many who are women living with HIV. The 2022 Summit’s theme, “Racism: The Hidden Driver of HIV”, will explore the implications of intrinsic racial biases in healthcare, as well as the intersections of the COVID-19 and HIV viruses, plus the effects of substance use and mental health. The Summit will feature a morning plenary by renowned American sociologist and scholar of urban poverty, Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Director of the Center for Racial Justice at the University of Michigan, and author of Remaking a Life: How Women Living with HIV/AIDS Confront Inequality (2019, University of California Press).

Other Summit highlights include: ViiV Healthcare’s presentation on From Risk to Reason – Reframing HIV Prevention and Care for Black Women; 12 breakout sessions by organizations including but not limited to, The Well Project; National HIV Aging Advocacy Network; NYC Department of Health, and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Iris House will also present awards to three trail-blazing women who have made extraordinary contributions to ending the AIDS epidemic: Marvelyn Brown, author, speaker, and HIV activist; Maria Mejia, The Well Project Ambassador and peer educator; and Masonia Traylor, Founder and CEO of Lady BurgAndy, Inc.

“BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) women continue to be a vulnerable population, and this event meets a great need in our community for them. Women’s health being at the forefront, while providing a space to create discourse around such issues, gives credence to this annual event,” stated Ingrid Floyd, Iris House executive director.

The Women as the Face of AIDS Summit is produced annually by Iris House with the financial support of dozens of organizations, including government agencies, corporations, and community-based organizations. This year’s lead sponsors include the New York City Council, ViiV Healthcare, Gilead Sciences, Orasure Technologies, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Additional supporters include Mt. Sinai Institute of Advanced Medicine, Ryan Health, and Select Health, among others. To learn more about the Summit, go to irishouse.org.

About Iris House

Iris House provides services for women, families and communities living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. In addition to providing family-center services that promote prevention, education and awareness, Iris House also offers practical services that address the day-today needs and reality of living with HIV/AIDS. Iris House provides nutritional counseling and meal programs, intensive case management, scatter site housing, mental health services and support groups and job life skills training. Since opening its doors in 1993, Iris House has assisted more than 2,000 individuals cope with HIV/AIDS and served tens of thousands in testing, outreach and prevention programs. In 2021 IH served over 7,500 individuals.

For more information on Iris House and Iris House Programs, please contact Nichole Benjamin, Director of Development at 646 548 0100 ext. 222 or nbenjamin@irishouse.org. More information may be found at www.irishouse.org. You may also keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Source: Iris House