The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #45991

Enbal Shacham, MEd and Leonardo Shanta Parker, BS. AID Atlanta, 1438 West Peachtree Street, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30309

The Unity Project is a program that was developed as a collaboration where AID Atlanta and the Council on Alcohol and Drugs combine their efforts in a program concentrating on preventing substance abuse and HIV infection among African-American youth. The program targets African American youth between the ages of 11 and 18 and their parents. The Unity Project has been implemented in twenty sites throughout Metropolitan Atlanta including: housing developments, churches, schools, community centers, and juvenile detention programs. The program has seven sessions dedicated to increasing communication between parents, partners, and friends, preventing substance abuse, and preventing HIV/STDs. These sessions are all interactive and discussion-based. Collaborating on this project has shown the voids of service delivery of many HIV or substance abuse-only prevention programs. The movement to collaborate in the public health arena is imperative for success; both to assess the health issue comprehensively as well as limited funding opportunities. Through implementation of the Unity Project it is clear that attempting to educate the community members on a specific health concerns does not allow other stressors and/or issues to be addressed, these typically minimize success in these programs. We also have learned that while both parents and youth are interested in learning in these programs, they are more concerned in gaining survival skills before they can concentrate on HIV/STD and substance abuse prevention. Health educators are charged with the challenge of recognizing health with a holistic approach; both because of daily stressors and that health issues do not stand-alone.

Learning Objectives:

• -Describe importance of a comprehensive HIV prevention curriculum that includes substance abuse prevention
• -Define strategies to recruit and retain high-risk participants within prevention programs
• -Recognize limitations of prevention programs within urban populations
• -Delineate further collaborative efforts for HIV/substance abuse prevention programs
• -Identify the voids of theory and practice of programs, funders, and participants

Keywords: Community-Based Public Health, HIV/AIDS

Related Web page: www.aidatlanta.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Council on Alcohol and Drugs AID Atlanta, Inc.
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: position funded by grant