Northern Nevada HOPES invites the community to join the observance of World AIDS Day on December 1 at the organization’s reception and candlelight vigil ceremony.
World AIDS Day is a day of solidarity for people around the world who are affected by HIV. This is a day for voices to unite by sharing experiences, remembering those lost, and standing together in the fight against HIV. The 2022 World AIDS Day theme is ‘Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV.”
“For 25 years, HOPES has been on the frontlines of HIV/AIDS care and prevention,” said Sharon Chamberlain, chief executive officer at HOPES. “A positive HIV diagnosis does not mean what it used to for a person’s health and we working to help reduce stigma, get more people tested and into really good treatment options that didn’t exist when we opened.”
The reception and vigil will be located outdoors at the HOPES Campus Rose Garden, 580 W 5th Street, Reno, Nevada, from 5 pm to 6 pm. The event will be hosted by HOPES’ board member, Tom Durante, and include stories from HOPES’ staff about working with HIV positive individuals over the years, a prayer from Reverend Glenn Taylor, and a healing mediation about equity and hope delivered by Mary Duffy, a member of HOPES’ behavioral health team.
For more information and to RSVP, visit https://link.spamstopshere.net/u/886fc241/8PhWMFRv7RGSyH22hnsoMg?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNNHOPES%2Fevents.
World AIDS Day serves as a reminder of the great strides made in treatment and care and the importance to get tested for HIV. HOPES offers free, rapid and confidential HIV testing and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill that can reduce your risk of HIV infection.
HOPES’ harm reduction program, Change Point, offers PrEP and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) appointments, which can prevent HIV infection if taken within 72 hours of a possible exposure even.
