The Points of Health Project (PHP) is a substance abuse, HIV and hepatitis education and prevention program of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF) in collaboration with the Pima County Health Department and other community partners.

The goals of PHP are to reduce substance abuse, HIV and hepatitis among Latino and African American men who have sex with men (MSM) and Latino and African American jail/prison re-entry men who reside in the Tucson metropolitan area.

http://phptucson.org/

By participating in community activities including health and recovery and wellness fairs, tabling, networking and direct outreach, PHP program staff help create awareness and recruit potential participants for the program.

Participants can take part in one of two series of workshops; Many Men, Many Voices or Say It Straight. These workshops have been tailored to address substance abuse issues, HIV and hepatitis prevention.

Many Men, May Voices (3MV)
Many Men, Many Voices (3MV) is a series of STD/HIV workshops originally designed for gay men of color. The workshops address behavioral influencing factors specific to gay men of color, including cultural/social norms, sexual relationship dynamics, and the social influences of racism and homophobia.

3MV targets gay men of color. The workshops also target men on the "down low" with or without female partners (i.e., men of color who have sex with other men but do not identify as gay or bisexual). 3MV was not specifically designed for each racial/ethnic group who may identify as being "of color" including Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, and Native American groups.

However, it is important to note that SAAF has linguistically and culturally adapted and tailored the 3MV curriculum for our work with Latino men.

Say It Straight (SIS)
Say It Straight (SIS) is a research-based education and training program that results in empowering communication skills and behaviors, increased self-awareness, positive relationships, personal and social responsibility and decreased risky or destructive behaviors, such as alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, violence, precocious sexual behavior and behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS.

Since 1982, SIS has been successfully implemented in schools with 3rd-12th graders with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds in urban and rural settings, including the gifted and talented, learning disabled and educable mentally handicapped; with students in detention, on probation or in chemical dependency treatment; with college athletes; with families, organizations and communities; with adults in chemical dependency treatment, aftercare and prison. SIS is co-created by participants who choose situations important in their lives within which they practice what they have learned. Thus, SIS transcends cultural and ethnic background, age, gender and organizational context.

Hepatitis A:
Source of the virus: Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) is found in the stool (feces) of persons with hepatitis A.

Transmission: HAV is usually spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth (even though it may look clean) that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A.

Prevention:

• Hepatitis A vaccine is the best protection.
• Short-term protection against hepatitis A is available from immune globulin. It can be given before and within 2 weeks after coming in contact with HAV.
• Always wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, and before preparing and eating food.

Hepatitis B:
Source of the virus: Occurs when blood from an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected.

Transmission: Hepatitis B Virus is spread through

• having sex with an infected person without using a condom (the efficacy of latex condoms in preventing infection with HBV is unknown, but their proper use may reduce transmission),
• by sharing drugs, needles, or "works" when "shooting" drugs,
• through needle sticks or sharps exposures on the job,
• or from an infected mother to her baby during birth.

Prevention:

• Hepatitis B vaccine is the best protection.
• If you are having sex, but not with one steady partner, use latex condoms correctly and every time you have sex. The efficacy of latex condoms in preventing infection with HBV is unknown, but their proper use may reduce transmission.

Hepatitis C:
Source of the virus: Occurs when blood from an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected.

Transmission: HCV is spread through sharing needles or "works" when "shooting" drugs, through needle sticks or sharps exposures on the job, or from an infected mother to her baby during birth.

Prevention:

• There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C.
• Do not shoot drugs; if you shoot drugs, stop and get into a treatment program; if you can't stop, never share needles, syringes, water, or "works", and get vaccinated against hepatitis A & B.
• Do not share personal care items that might have blood on them (razors, toothbrushes).
• If you are a health care or public safety worker, always follow routine barrier precautions and safely handle needles and other sharps; get vaccinated against hepatitis B.
• Consider the risks if you are thinking about getting a tattoo or body piercing. You might get infected if the tools have someone else's blood on them or if the artist or piercer does not follow good health practices.

For more information on hepatitis education and prevention, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/.

Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS)
www.azdhs.gov

Pima County Health Department
www.pimahealth.org

COPE Behavioral Services
www.copebhs.com

The Primavera Foundation
www.primavera.org

Old Pueblo Community Foundation
www.oldpueblofoundation.org

El Rio Special Immunology Associates
http://elrio.org

PHP Funding Source
Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
www.samhsa.gov

For more information, contact
Carlos Torres at 580-628-7223 or by .