Cis-Women Aging and Thriving Beyond the HIV Diagnosis

Event Description

This workshop will present key findings from a study on aging specific to HIV positive women ages 50 and older in the Philadelphia area and how they parallel to national findings about women in this age group. This workshop will also demonstrate how social determinants of health promote health disparities for women across the country, specifically for Black/ African American cis-women.

This interactive session will serve as a training model for non-medical service providers and other front and mid-level staff. We will discuss the need for providers to work across disciplines to address the many needs of older women aging with HIV.

Objectives

1. Foster dialogue between community members and providers of health and social services about the resilience, challenges, and wisdom of women aging with HIV 
2. Provide education to providers and community members about accessing services to meet the intersecting nature of health, economic and service needs of women aging with HIV; 
3. Provide insight to services that best serve the diverse local community of women aging with HIV, and align services for aging populations with the local EHE plan

Speakers

Teresa Sullivan, Certification in Advancing Racial and Social Justice

Positive Women’s Network

Teresa Sullivan’s area of expertise in the intersection of HIV and incarceration, Mrs. Sullivan is Director, HIV Prevention and Education, Teresa has work for Philadelphia FIGHT since 2009. Teresa has 20 years of experience in HIV education
Teresa is graduate of AAHU Black AIDS Institute and former member Wistar BEAT –HIV Community Advisory Broad. Mrs. Sullivan is the former Vice Chair for National Positive Women’s Network –USA and senior member for Pennsylvania Affiliated chapter, as an
Adherence and Mobilization Navigator for the National Minority Council (NMAC) and one of the awarded Scholar grantees of “HIV 50 + Project Strong and Healthy” initiative.
Teresa was honored with highest prestigious Red Ribbon award in 2018 for her work in HIV activism and HIV education.
As a community organizer for the Support Center Prison Advocacy Teresa spearheads outreach into communities most impacted by the crisis of mass imprisonment and helps organize neighborhoods level steering committees to address their area specific reentry needs.

Grace Rutha, PGD, BA, CHW

Positive Women’s Network

Grace has a passion for Women’s Advocacy, Writing, Networking, Health Care Research and Clinical Trials and is a long-term member of Positive Women’s Network, USA.
She has a Postgraduate Diploma Mass Communication and Journalism and a Bachelor of
Arts in English Language, Literature in English and Philosophy from the University of Nairobi and is a published author. Grace says her life has been highly informed by Clinical Trials, two of which have given her a magnanimous lease of life. Her dream is to see a world in which the HIV epidemic will not end but where people living with HIV will thrive, enjoy respect from the Community, access affordable health care and housing as a tool of prevention, and to make informed choices through elaborate and customized Health care education. She proudly rejoins joins the TEACH Department effective September 19, 2022.