“A Much AS I Can” is a key component of ACCELERATE which is aligned with the National HIV\/AIDS Strategy for the United States,\u00a0ACCELERATE!<\/em>\u00a0is ViiV Healthcare\u2019s four-year, $10 million commitment to support innovative projects that focus on improving HIV outcomes for Black gay men in two cities hardest hit by HIV \u2014 Baltimore, Maryland, and Jackson, Mississippi.<\/p>\n At ViiV Healthcare, we develop and support sustainable community programs \u2014 with and for the HIV community \u2014 focused on education, treatment and prevention and access to care. Guided by this commitment and the persistent, disproportionate impact of HIV on Black Americans, especially gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM), we launched the\u00a0ACCELERATE!<\/em>\u00a0Initiative<\/a>\u00a0on National Black HIV\/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) in 2015.<\/p>\n Our Approach<\/strong><\/p>\n ACCELERATE!<\/em>\u00a0is guided by three key strategies to increase access to and retention in high-quality HIV prevention, care and treatment for Black gay men:<\/p>\n Our Ethnographic Research: Meet Me Where I Want to Be<\/strong><\/p>\n To kick off the Initiative, ViiV Healthcare commissioned an\u00a0ethnographic research study<\/a>\u00a0beginning with a comprehensive environment assessment to familiarize the research team with daily life in Baltimore and Jackson. The assessment also helped to establish an understanding about the contexts in which Black gay men operate at home, in the clinic and out in the world.<\/p>\n The research team interviewed 30 men, both HIV-negative and HIV-positive, in addition to their friends, family members and other influencers. Interviewers spent one to two days with each man. The study team also interviewed civic leaders, providers and others involved in the HIV care environment in these two cities and conducted an extensive review of media, images and messages that shape the broader cultural conversation around HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n The research took a holistic view of men\u2019s lives exploring characteristics of the HIV epidemic among Black gay and bisexual men in\u00a0Baltimore<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Jackson<\/strong><\/a>. Coupled with insights from the local communities, this research identified opportunities to put this research into action:<\/p>\n Back by popular demand, “As Much As I Can,” \u00a0an immersive theater experience will be in Baltimore September 7 \u2013 14. This experience is designed to elevate the voices of Black gay men and encourage a transformative shift in attitudes, beliefs, and understanding of their lived experiences. The stories told as part of this experience, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[437,436,434,433,435,441,440,439,432,438],"class_list":["post-2229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community-events","tag-as-much-as-i-can-immerse-dance-theatre","tag-accelerate-initiative","tag-baltimore","tag-hivaids","tag-md-msm-population","tag-msm-in-baltimore","tag-msm-in-dc","tag-va-hivaids-community","tag-viiv-healthcare","tag-washington-dc-hivaids-community"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/us.viivhealthcare.com\/media\/124406\/cities.jpg?width=500&height=137.66666666666666\")
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