Over the last couple of years, we have heard from people living with HIV about the challenge of reliable transportation to doctor’s appointments, the lack of HIV docs in the suburbs, and how hard it can be to maintain housing and afford food (among a lot of other things). But we want to hear it straight from you, so in 2019 OHP is hitting the road! We are excited to invite you to Listening Sessions throughout the EMA (Philadelphia region).

At these listening sessions, we want to hear about your experiences with medical care, HIV-related services (testing, prevention resources, case management, etc.), and what things are making it hard for people to stay healthy.

Our first two sessions are scheduled: Media-Upper Providence Library on April 10th and Levittown Public Library on April 30th. The sessions will be 1.5-2 hours-long guided discussions. OHP staff will ask the group questions about your experiences with medical care. Together we will prioritize the challenges mentioned and brainstorm solutions. We will serve light refreshments and attendees will be asked to fill out a short anonymous survey so we can describe who was there.

All of the challenges, comments and ideas will be collected into a short report that will be published on OHP’s website. We will also share it with the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office (the agency that administers the Ryan White grant for the region) and the Philadelphia HIV Integrated Planning Council, as well as other local agencies. No names or other identifying information will be included in these reports, all participants will remain anonymous.

You can RSVP for the Listening Session in Media and Levittown here. If you have any questions about transportation to the listening sessions or if you need interpretation or other assistance to participate, please email or call Nicole at 215-574-6769 at least 3 days prior to the event.

Share the Facebook events with your friends and networks. We look forward to meeting you soon!

The Office of HIV Planning is responsible for collecting experiences, challenges, and ideas from people living with HIV and other community members. We share that information with the HIV Integrated Planning Council so they can make decisions that address the needs of the community. We do this in several ways: discussion at meetings, surveys, focus groups, interviews, and occasional public listening sessions or town hall meetings. You can read the 2017 Ryan White client survey and the reports from focus groups we did in 2014 on our website.