Black women have the third highest rate of infection of HIV/AIDS in Michigan, and Planned Parenthood Mid-Michigan Alliance is launching a program to try and change that.
Sisters Playing it Safe is an HIV Prevention Program which educates women about how to change their behavior in order to decrease the risk of catching HIV and will now be offered in Ingham County. The program was announced this week in honor of today being World AIDS Day, and the first class will be offered in January.
Previously offered in Washtenaw and Berrien counties, the program proved effective, so Planned Parenthood Mid-Michigan Alliance started working to raise funds to bring it to the Lansing area, Kathy Fahl, director of education at the alliance said.
"What we've found in the eight years we have done it in other communities is that women who take part feel like they gain valuable skills as well as gain a connection in the community," she said.
Various agencies in the community have been supportive of the new program, said Joy Whitten, public affairs and development specialist for the Planned Parenthood Mid-Michigan Alliance.
"People recognize that there is a need and give their support to try and do something," she said.
The free program is a five-part series of classes that are two hours each, with a follow-up session three months later, Fahl said. Sessions are taught by a black female facilitator who discusses topics such as gender and ethnic pride, how HIV is spread and how to be assertive with possible partners.
"It's very interactive," Fahl said. "Participants generally take away good information and have fun with it.
"It's intense and it's serious, but we try to make it interactive and fun — something they want to come to."
The number of black women with HIV/AIDS is topped only by white males and African American men, according to a 2003 report released by the Communicable Disease and Immunization Division of the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Even though black males and females only make up 14 percent of Michigan's population, they make up 58 percent of the population of Michigan living with HIV, the report states.
Although it is aimed toward black women, the program is open to any woman who is interested in protecting themselves against HIV, Fahl said.
The Lansing Area AIDS Network is partnering with Planned Parenthood and will offer testing to participants along with helping them get the word out to the people who can benefit from this program, Whitten said.
Being tested for HIV is important because it can help slow down the progression of the disease if it's detected early enough, said Jacob Distel, executive director of the Lansing Area AIDS Network.
"It's a safeguard for potential partners and promotes better self care," he said. "If it is detected very early on, that can help progression of the disease.
"It's raising awareness across the board."
