Long-term survivors of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and their supporters are invited to share stories and fellowship at an event this weekend in Philadelphia.
The Reunion Project will bring together HIV-positive people and allies to explore shared experiences and build community among survivors. The free daylong summit will be held 9 a.m.-5 p.m. May 14 at William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St.
The effort was conceived of by Test Positive Aware Network, with funding by Bristol-Myers Squib. The original summit was held last summer in Chicago, with a second one in Palm Springs.
It’s estimated that about half of the country’s HIV-positive population is over age 50, said Jeff Berry, TPAN director of publications.
“There’s been an increasing conversation about HIV and aging but we also wanted to focus on the segment of the population called long-term survivors, and the types of issues that face individuals who’ve been living with HIV since the early days of the epidemic,” he said. “We wanted to offer a safe space for those who have been through this, who have suffered loss, but who have shown resilience in overcoming those difficult times. They’re still here to share their stories and we want to honor what they went through but also their survival, as a way of moving the community on a path forward.”
Berry connected with William Way executive director Chris Bartlett during a national HIV conference last fall, and the two talked about bringing the effort to Philadelphia.
“I always felt there was a need for building community among long-term survivors of HIV,” Bartlett said. “In Philadelphia, we have a long history of strong communities of people living with HIV and allies, so I thought it would be a great thing to have a summit to explore what it would take to continue to strengthen that community.”
The Reunion Project will include a plenary session in which participants are encouraged to share stories of surviving, and thriving, with HIV.
Berry said that at the first two summits, participants discussed the emotional impact of isolation and depression, as well as practical issues like finances and health-care concerns. He said it’s up to the participants how much they want to share.
“Some want to and some don’t want to go there; it’s too difficult for some people to go back to a very painful time,” he said. “That’s why we offer not only the experiential portion but also the educational part so people have the opportunity to take part in aspects of the program that most interests them.”
The afternoon will feature breakout sessions where topics include the epidemic’s impact on women, medical needs of long-term survivors and how to develop strong patient-provider relationships. A closing session will address strengthening ties among long-term survivors.
“We’re hoping the conversation will lead to folks doing more to move forward,” Bartlett said.
While The Reunion Project is geared toward people who are long-term survivors, anyone who has been impacted by the epidemic is invited.
“There are a lot of topics that will be addressed that touch everyone,” Berry said. “There are people who are HIV-negative who went through the early days of the epidemic and suffered a lot of loss; they’re survivors in their own right. There are also younger people who want to learn about the issues facing long-term survivors. We welcome anyone who is interested in learning about this because we need to build a community of not only survivors, but also allies.”
To register for The Reunion Project, call 215-732-2220. Lunch will be provided. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/24KpOUK.