GMHC

Pronouns are not a preference. On International Pronouns Day we are joining our partners to encourage education and mutual respect. At GMHC we believe that sharing and using people’s chosen pronouns affirms human dignity.

This World Mental Health Day we are joining our partners to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues can be significant challenges for people living with HIV/AIDS. GMHC provides nonjudgmental mental health services to our clients as part of our comprehensive strategy to support people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Chet Balram, GMHC’s Managing Director, Mental Health and Substance Use Services recently discussed our integrated care model: "There are a lot of other issues, including mental health, substance use disorder, and social determinants like housing instability, nutritional needs, and unemployment or underemployment. Sometimes, those issues are the most important ones for a client. If you don’t have a place to rest your head, why are you going to make getting your HIV medications a priority? Integrated service providers look at the different factors at play and work to ensure that an individual receives everything they need, hopefully in one place where they feel comfortable.”

September 27 is National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day to help end HIV stigma and encourage HIV testing, prevention, and treatment among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (msm). GMHC was first in the fight and continues to support those in the msm community who are living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. As we celebrate the progress we have made in HIV prevention and treatment in the msm community, we also acknowledge the challenges we still face. Racism, poverty, stigma, and homophobia serve as barriers to care and prevention, and continue to drive inequities that cause gay and bisexual men—particularly Black and Hispanic/Latino men—to be overrepresented in the HIV epidemic.

It’s Suicide Prevention Month, and our community is facing a crisis. People living with HIV and AIDS are 100 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. But suicide is preventable. Social stigma and poor access to mental health care are costing lives. Will you help change this? Your donation to GMHC today will provide resources like STI testing and counseling services for those living with HIV and AIDS. Donate to GMHC today at https://lnkd.in/ek7-wfsP because losing even one more life is too many. #SuicidePreventionMonth #SupportGMHC

Each year on September 18, researchers, health care providers, and communities around the country observe National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day. Established in 2008 by the AIDS Institute, NHAAD raises awareness to the challenges faced by aging populations who live with HIV, which include: HIV prevention, treatment and care; and HIV-related comorbidities, coinfections, and other complications.

✅It's National Voter Registration Day! Register to vote, check your registration, and get #VoterReady at https://lnkd.in/g_3vePg. #NationalVoterRegistrationDay

GMHC’s Black & Latino Institute for Leadership & Training (BLIT) wants to support your team! BLIT is a grant-funded program administered by the New York State Department of Labor. We can provide free training resources related to leadership and management to nonprofit organizations in the greater New York City area (5 boroughs, Yonkers, Long Island, and Westchester) who may not have the budget for their own in-house training program. The initiative is focused on organizations serving communities of color and the LGBTQ community. For more information, contact Katiuska Guzman at KatiuskaG@gmhc.org.

People living with HIV are up to five times more likely to die by suicide. GMHC’s world-class integrated care model saves lives by meeting people where they are. #SuicidePrevention #HIV #IntegratedHealthcare Our sincere thanks to Chet Balram, LCSW for his insights.