News Release
U-M School of Public Health receives CDC grant to reduce sexually transmitted infections among young men in southeast Michigan
August 8, 2014, University of Michigan School of Public Health release
U-M School of Public Health receives CDC grant to reduce sexually transmitted infections among young men in southeast Michigan
ANN ARBOR, MI -- The Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities (SexLab) at the University of Michigan School of Public Health has been awarded a three-year, one million dollar grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify and implement innovative community strategies to reduce sexually transmitted infections experienced by young men who have sex with men in Southeast Michigan.
The award is part of the highly competitive CDC Community Approaches to Reducing Sexually Transmitted Diseases (CARS) initiative, and supports the planning, implementation and evaluation of interdisciplinary interventions to promote community sexual health.
"Social and institutional factors such as lack of social services and barriers to
accessing HIV/STI prevention and healthcare can fuel the epidemic," says Jose Bauermeister,
John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education and principal
investigator on the grant. "These factors are inextricably intertwined. If we can
improve one area of the system, it has the potential to ripple throughout and spark
much needed community mobilization and change."
Based on 2012 Michigan County Health Department data, six of nine counties in the greater Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area account for the majority of new HIV, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis cases in the state. A large proportion of these cases are diagnosed among young men who have sex with men who are ages 15-29.
SexLab will enhance awareness of the STI disparity among these young men, promote collaborations between multiple sectors, identify new opportunities for STI prevention and care service delivery, and enable access to culturally humble and sensitive services. In year one of the project, the research team will convene a coalition of stakeholders from multiple sectors to identify routine public health control measures that can influence STI prevention and care in Southeast Michigan. During years two and three of the project, strategies will be implemented and evaluated aimed at reducing STI disparities among this population.
Beginning this fall, the coalition will convene town hall meetings to encourage active involvement from different community sectors, offer new opportunities for partners to join the coalition, and identify innovative and actionable ideas. Community members, businesses, or agencies interested in collaborating in this initiative are welcome to contact Ms. Emily Pingel (espingel@umich.edu) for more information.
"This three-fold approach of awareness, collaboration, and access provides a framework that will guide our community coalition," explains Bauermeister, who is also director of the Center for Sexuality & Health Disparities (SexLab) at the School of Public Heatlh. "Our aim is to implement a comprehensive program that is efficient, culturally appropriate, and responsive to the needs of young men who have sex with men in Southeast Michigan."
The grant, which is a community-based participatory project, builds on the work of an academic-community partnership originally co-funded by the MAC AIDS Fund and the Ford Foundation.
Related Links
- Jose Bauermeister
- Center for Sexuality & Health Disparities (SexLab)
- School of Public Health
For Questions or Media Inquiries, Contact:
Ms. Emily Pingel, MPH
espingel@umich.edu
734-763-7260
