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June 2000 Meeting
Summary Report
The Metro Boston Haitian REACH 2010
Community Planning Group recently held a series of community forums.
The purpose of these forums was to share highlights from the Phase I Needs
Assessment with the general community, and to invite dialogue/recommendations
from participants based on the work of the planning group to help shape
proposed Phase II HIV prevention intervention strategies for the Haitian
community.
.
| THE
FIRST COMMUNITY FORUM |
Cambridge/Somerville
Took place onWednesday,
June 14 at Our Lady of Pity Church in Cambridge.
Approximately 25 persons attended
Mr. Eno Mondesir, core group member from Boston Public Health Commission,
the facilitator for the evening, welcomed the group. Ms. Lunine Pierre-Jerome
provided Creole translation throughout the evening. Kathy Steger Craven,
REACH 2010 Co-Chair and part of the core group, gave the group an overview
of the CDC REACH 2010 initiative. Janine Walker, REACH 2010 Project
Coordinator, then gave the group an overview of the process of the Metro
Boston Haitian REACH 2010 Community Planning Group. She outlined
the needs assessment process, the methodology of gathering information,
and how the needs assessment will help shape Phase II interventions.
Mr. Nesley Metayer from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health was
the guest speaker, and addressed the audience about the HIV/AIDS epidemic
and the need for prevention efforts within the community.
Ms. Bernadette Montasse was next on the agenda, with the topic "What
the REACH 2010 Community Process Means to Me: A Consumer Perspective".
She shared her perspective of being a person living with HIV and talked
about some of her experiences. Next, Deirdre Rogers from the Boston
AIDS Consortium and a member of the REACH 2010 Executive Committee shared
some of the data and recommendations from the draft of the needs assessment
document. Her discussion was supplemented by handouts in both English
and Creole that summarized key points from the needs assessment document.
Next, Ms. Kathy Grey and Lunine Pierre-Jerome led a discussion with
the general group, inviting feedback about the recommendations and specific
comments about information presented. Lunine Pierre-Jerome acted
as recorder and recorded comments on a flip chart. Due to time limitations,
feedback and discussion was limited among this group.
Participants were asked to write down comments and feedback about the evening.
The following comments were submitted:
| "Some
people still believe that AIDS is not that much of an issue...Some doubt
still persists in the minds of some leaders as to how HIV is transmitted...Facilitator
too strong on voodoo, perhaps..not enough time for questions...This work,
needs assessment, is important to know where to begin to address issues
of sexuality/STDs and other root causes of HIV/AIDS" |
| "Well
done within the time allowed. As a Haitian citizen and concerned
citizen living in the U.S.A. I would be available to help any time you
need me for outreach or info." |
| "I'd
like to know if this forum is taking place in each community or if it's
just an evaluation of human resources in such an area specially in North
Cambridge that represent groups/churches? Anyway I realize that nobody
say nothing politically about HIV. I think there is a certain political
move, not against the sickness only but against the black people.
Note, I say politically just because, in some ways, not all affected people
are reached. I really don't know what's behind. As for the
2010 project, it's a good idea as long as there is concretisation.
Are lesbians infected or affected? Neutral questions...It's a good
idea to involve all leaders in the community in such a way to make sure
that the message is going through and be up to date with them." |
| "Tonight's
forum was very informative. I realize that we need to focus more
on education and prevention. Until now people are not well educated
on HIV/AIDS especially church people. It is a good idea if something
can be done for the clergy. The forum was very good. The translation
was excellent." |
|
| "I
do believe that it was great. So, we need more of this type for each
community where Haitians mostly live, live Malden, Dorchester, Everett,
Roxbury, Brockton, Cambridge, Somerville etc." |
| "Tonight's
forum was very well presented despite the poor turnout. I think that
the most effective speaker was Bernadette Montasse, the consumer.
She was able to explain a lot about what others don't know about life with
the disease, and the rejection people with HIV face". |
| "Very
interesting forum. Congratulations! Nevertheless I would have
preferred many more Haitian people have attended it! I hope the REACH
2010 committee will do his best in order to reach the major part of the
Haitian community!" |
| THE
SECOND COMMUNITY FORUM |
Brockton Forum
Took place on Thursday, June
15 at the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Approximately 37 persons attended.
Ms. Carla Fogaren, Director of Interpreter Services at Caritas Good
Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, welcomed the group. Riché
Zamor, REACH 2010 Co-Chair, gave opening remarks and facilitated the evening.
Lunine Pierre-Jerome provided Creole translation throughout the evening.
Kathy Steger Craven, REACH 2010 Co-Chair and part of the core group, gave
the group an overview of the CDC REACH 2010 initiative. Janine Walker,
REACH 2010 Project Coordinator, then gave the group an overview of the
process of the Metro Boston Haitian REACH 2010 Community Planning Group.
She outlined the needs assessment process, the methodology of gathering
information, and how the needs assessment will help shape Phase II interventions.
Ms. Florence Saintiche addressed the group next, with the topic, "What
the REACH 2010 Community Process Means to Me: A Consumer Perspective".
She shared with the group her experiences of living with HIV. She
was followed by Anne Marie Sylvia from Boston AIDS Consortium, who presented
key findings and recommendations from the needs assessment.
Her discussion was supplemented by handouts in both English and Creole
that summarized key points from the needs assessment document.
Next, Ms. Kathy Grey and Lunine Pierre-Jerome led a discussion with
the general group, inviting feedback about the recommendations and specific
comments about information presented. To frame the discussion, specific
recommendations were highlighted on an overhead projector and Kathy Grey
invited discussion around each recommendation. Lunine Pierre-Jerome
recorded comments and responses on a flip chart.
Participants were asked to write down comments
and feedback about the evening. The following comments were submitted:
| "Excellent forum--illuminating
discussion leading to the importance of looking at the root causes of this
HIV pandemic. Brockton responded well, better than Cambridge". |
| "This forum is very very
important for all people. Because not all people have good information,
and help for big problem. Thanks a lot". |
| "Wonderful community program.
Well presented". |
| "Forum is
very informative--discussions were interesting". |
| "The forum was very informative.
The consumer perspective was extremely informative, Ms. Florence Saintiche
perspective was most helpful and enlightening. I think that Ms. Saintiche
ability to talk about her experience with HIV/AIDS and her husband's denial
was well presented. The issue regarding men's unwillingness to deal
with this issue can be helped by hearing from Haitian men or a Haitian
man. How do you address the issue of multiple partners and the impact
of HIV/AIDS on all concerned. An excellent program!" |
| "The forum was very informative
about HIV and AIDS and also very touching when Florence an HIV infected
consumer had a ‘tell all' session which was the key note. She deserves
a lot of credit. I applauded her very much. We thank CCHER
for including Brockton as part of REACH 2010 and the focus on the Haitian
community". |
| THE
THIRD AND FINAL COMMUNITY FORUM |
Mattapan/Dorchester Forum
Took place on Friday, June 16at
the St. Angela's Church in Mattapan.
Approximately 42 persons attended.
Jean-Marc Jean-Baptiste, Executive Director of Haitian American Public
Health Initiatives (HAPHI) gave opening remarks and facilitated the evening.
Lunine Pierre-Jerome provided Creole translation throughout the evening.
Guy Apollon, Program Director at CCHER, gave the group an overview of the
CDC REACH 2010 initiative. Janine Walker, REACH 2010 Project Coordinator,
then gave the group an overview of the process of the Metro Boston Haitian
REACH 2010 Community Planning Group. She outlined the needs assessment
process, the methodology of gathering information, and how the needs assessment
will help shape Phase II interventions.
Mr. John Auerbach, Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission,
was the guest speaker. He re-iterated the important work that is
being done within the community and gave words of encouragement to the
group. Another special guest was Ms. Marie St. Fleur, State Representative
for the 5th Suffolk District, city of Boston. She spoke to the group
briefly and offered words of encouragement. Next, Mr. Andrew
Fullem, Director of Massachusetts Department of Public Health HIV/AIDS
Surveillance, shared highlights and selected recommendations from the needs
assessment. His discussion was supplemented by handouts in both English
and Creole that summarized key points from the needs assessment document.
Next, Ms. Kathy Grey and Lunine Pierre-Jerome led a discussion with
the general group, inviting feedback about the recommendations and specific
comments about information presented. To frame the discussion, specific
recommendations were highlighted on an overhead projector and Kathy Grey
invited discussion around each recommendation. Lunine Pierre-Jerome
recorded comments and responses on a flip chart.
Participants were asked to write down comments
and feedback about the evening. The following comments were submitted:
| "Very well structured.
Presentation was clear and on target. I found the forum very informative
and the report very encouraging. I wish more people could benefit
from the discussion and sharing these ideas. I also would like to
see more interaction and discussion about the findings". |
| "That is very important
work. I wish that the recommendations be implemented through the
collaboration of all the organizations serving the community. It
is not an individual task it is a corporate task. It should be taken
seriously because it concerns a lethal case." |
Recommendations:
Information that will be shared must demystify the topic of AIDS/HIV and
address the issue of shame, guilt and embarrassment associated with HIV/AIDS.
In terms of intervening with individuals with HIV/AIDS, it is important
for people to understand that HIV is not a death sentence; that they have
choices if they should have the disease.
Medications that are available--where they can be obtained, cost.
Pediatric needs--education, day care services."
"(1)
More emphasis on the youth (11-24) because they seem to think that they
are invincible.
(2)
More info in the immigration aspect of the problem so we can have more
people tested.
(3) Educate
those who are already infected and who know about not to have sex with
other people without protection. Thanks."
"Great
idea for sharing and collecting input to and from the community.
Information distributed was useful and especially well organized.
Good job."
"Congratulations on this important work. You have addressed: Prevention
and care--education, information, access to care. But also help the
infected live--economic development, work program etc. Programs to
help the affected--orphans of HIV parents, widows. Control the spread
of the disease: set a committee with agencies to design means (legal) to
notify partners of HIV+ persons. This is very complex problem--a
key to continuous spread of HIV when people in their death bed with AIDS
refuse to ever let their partners know of the fact."
"This forum was much better attended than previous sessions. I find
it a good process where the presenter states specifics of the project REACH
2010. Refreshment was excellent, with H20 and watermelon (beat the
heat). Keep up the good work".
"It was difficult to do a very good job, or an ideal job because of the
short time, but the next time it should be much better to choose another
day more convenient for to have better attendance. Technically, the
community forum was very good, success. We hope the data will be
used for the best project; the Haitian communities of Boston, Mattapan,
Cambridge/Somerville and Brockton are waiting anxiously for the services
they can have from the next phase, the next step of the project."
Eustache Jean-Louis, Executive Director at CCHER, gave closing comments
to the group, thanking everyone for their participation and urging people
that our efforts must continue at a community level so that we can continue
to build capacity within the Haitian community around HIV/AIDS prevention.
Compilation of Key
Points/Feedback From Discussion Participants:
(as recorded on flip charts)
| Immigration
issue is a problem for people who are not legal before they test for HIV. |
| More education
on HIV and immigration. Get ensured from INS that petition can still
be done even if the person is tested positive+. |
| Focus on
care for people infected with HIV. |
| Focus on STD, have
a general approach including HIV/AIDS. |
| Use + techniques,
do group intervention, question and reflect on the issue to sensitize the
individual on HIV. |
| Abstinence is not
a good recommendation for 20 year olds, rather focus on education, alternatives
and safe sex. |
| Need to inform
the community that HIV is a real problem. |
| Help the community
understand the problem. |
| Domestic violence
and HIV/AIDS--working with women's organizations. |
| Need a center
organization that speaks specifically on AIDS and make it clear to the
outsider that this work is on HIV. |
| Prevention with
adolescents and focus on cultural bias. |
| Offer available
options to young men and women. Inform them about the choices that
they can make 17-27 should be a target for prevention. |
| Educate HIV+
people to inform their children so they become advocates themselves. |
| Haitian women
autonomy. |
| Education
of men around sexual issues and safe sex. |
| Haitian women
should be tested before they decide to become pregnant so they know how
to prevent their child from becoming infected. |
| Education
on homosexuality, address the topic whether or not it's disclosed. |
| Educate the
community to accept homosexuality as a fact in the Haitian community. |
| Clients should
insist on confidentiality, they have the right to it. |
| Because of
the stigma attached to AIDS, agencies should not clearly identify that
they give AIDS/HIV services. |
| Offer types
of services in the same building so people don't know who has what |
| Confidentiality
might be a perceived, not a real problem. |
| Be sensitive
to the religious community. Sometimes professional HIV service providers
don't know or ignore the availability of resources in the church. |
| The church
should play a role in addressing the issue. |
| Because of
the power dynamics, women are afraid to take control of their sex life. |
| Even educated
women are afraid to talk about sex. It's a secret/closed topic |
| Refusal to
have sex is a cause for divorce. |
| Sex education
is as important as other issues. |
| Need to talk
about women empowerment. |
| We need to
address the issues with women. |
| Fight against
HIV in the U.S. and in Haiti--it should become a joint effort. The
disease is spread from Haiti to U.S. and vice versa. |
| In the schools
in this state, students have study period. In an experiment, agencies
got together and offered a class on HIV/AIDS, was done in many languages.
The school committee did not approve of the program. Need to contact
the school committee to have HIV as part of the curriculum Educators
and health care providers need to know what we want/need in the community.
Need to contact the reps to inform them about our needs. |
| Educate Haitian
children regarding HIV/AIDS transmission here and in Haiti. |
| The educational
materials, like photographs, must be prepared according to Haitians culture
and perspectives. |
| Improvement
of Haitian women's self esteem. |
| Primary care
physicians should encourage their patients to be tested even before symptoms
appear, to prevent the spread of HIV disease. |
| Involve schools,
teachers priests and ministers in the educational projects. |
|
