Happy New Year and Thanks from TIHAN’s staff
We are grateful to our donors and volunteers who gave so generously in November and December and allowed us to distribute holiday gifts and gift cards to our CarePartners living with HIV, and to have a fabulous holiday dinner party for 200 CarePartners and guests. Thank you for brightening the holidays for our CarePartners!
Here are some interesting notes about new HIV cases, along with upcoming events that we think you will be interested in.
Gina, Heaven, and Scott, TIHAN staff
Quick Links to This Month’s Articles
The Red Concert Benefit – Sunday, March 3 at Three Canyon Outdoors
Join us for a late afternoon of music under the beautiful Arizona sky featuring Little House of Funk and Connie Brannock. Advance tickets for this benefit concert are $25. Tickets at the door (if any are available) will be $30. All proceeds support the work of TIHAN serving people living with HIV here in Tucson, and the Center for Health and Hope providing services to people affected by HIV globally.
Little House of Funk is a band that is all about keeping the dance floor full. They play a unique blend of fun, funky music best described as Sonoran Soul.
The concert takes place at Three Canyon, an outdoor venue serving food and drink on Tucson’s northeast side. Arrive between 4 and 4:30 to get the best parking, grab your preferred seats, and order some delicious food and drink so you’ll be ready when the band starts at 5pm! This is an outdoor concert, with covered seating areas – general admission.
Last year’s concert brought out over 150 people, and raised almost $25,000! Join us for another great time. Tickets and sponsorships are available at https://www.centerforhealthandhope.org/the-red-concert
Sponsorship levels for this benefit concert range from $100 to $1,500, and you can make a tax-deductible donation or sign up to sponsor the event.
Are New HIV Cases Going Up or Down?
POZ Magazine, the nation’s top source for HIV news, recently published an article entitled “Are New HIV Cases Rising or Falling? Whether cases are going up or down depends on where you look and what you’re measuring.”
“New HIV diagnoses declined slightly in San Francisco and New York City in 2022,” the article states, “suggesting that things have gotten back on track after disruptions in health services at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But nationwide data are mixed, and some areas are seeing increases, such as a 19% rise in new cases in Arizona.”*
Nationwide, the CDC estimates new cases of HIV infection went down each year from 2017 (38,791 new HIV diagnoses in the US) to 2020 (30,585 cases). However, the 2021 number increased 18% to 36,136. But perhaps the increase in HIV cases was related to more testing after the initial pandemic shutdown?
* The state of Arizona reported 975 new HIV cases in 2022, a 14% increase from 2021. However, the number of new reported HIV cases in Pima County actually decreased from 145 to 141 during that time period. But Maricopa County and the rest of the state of Arizona saw an increase. However, was it more because of more outreach and testing being done? There are no easy answers and the three years of COVID pandemic had impacts that we are still trying to decipher.
The good news is state health departments and local providers have been able to more quickly get people who test HIV-positive into medical care. 79% of people in Arizona testing positive last year got connected to services within 30 days of diagnosis, the state reports. Fortunately, if someone does test positive for HIV today, they can get linked to care and treatment right away and stay healthy, but there are still barriers. We’re most concerned about people who are not accessing HIV testing and PrEP prevention options, because they can be at risk for HIV transmission, and people who are having difficulty accessing treatment after they test positive for HIV. The need for awareness and support continues.
For the full article from POZ magazine, visit https://www.poz.com/article/new-hiv-cases-rising-falling
For the state of Arizona’s annual HIV report, visit https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/disease-integrated-services/hiv-epidemiology/reports/2023/hiv-annual-report-2023.pdf?v=20231214
TIHAN’s Annual Meeting Celebrates You and Your Impact in a New, Engaging Way!
Please join us as we acknowledge and celebrate you and your impact! We will reflect on TIHAN’s dedicated volunteers and community business, faith and organizational partners, with some personal words from our CarePartners living with HIV.
It takes place on Monday, March 18, from 5:30pm-7:00pm at St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N Campbell Ave (Northeast corner of Campbell and River Roads) in the Murphey Gallery.
The event is free and open to all, with food and drink and opportunities to meet and re-connect with each other. Ample parking is available in the church parking lot. RSVP so we can plan for food – 520-299-6647 or VolunteerCoordinator@tihan.org
Arizona Gay Rodeo Supports Nonprofits Including TIHAN – Join Us!
Every year, TIHAN recruits volunteers to help with the Arizona Gay Rodeo in Phoenix. All proceeds raised support nonprofit organizations serving the community, including TIHAN.
Last year, the Phoenix rodeo gave out $100,000 in proceeds to nonprofits, including $7,000 to TIHAN!
Do you want to join us for the fun? We are looking for volunteers who can help with the shift on Saturday, February 17 from 1:00pm-4:00pm. Folks from Tucson can carpool for the day trip, or if you live in Phoenix area and want to help TIHAN, we can meet you there.
Volunteer areas include simple roles such as staffing the ticket booth, steering folks to the rodeo stands, and helping sell merchandise. Nothing too complicated! It’s a fun time, a great way to meet people and support your community while helping raise funds through the event. Contact Scott@tihan.org if you are interested in joining us for a 3-hour shift. For more information about the rodeo, visit https://agra-phx.com/2024-arizona-gay-rodeo-information/
Late-Breaking News!
The Center for Health and Hope and the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN) are pleased and proud to announce that the 2024 Leadership Award will be presented to Jess Losoya of Tucson, Arizona, at the Red Concert on Sunday, March 3 in Tucson.
Whether out front or behind the scenes, Jess Losoya is a self-effacing, strategic, servant leader who is recognized as a tireless advocate for marginalized and stigmatized people in our society. Drawing wisdom from his own life experiences and education, he exercises leadership in engaging, collaborative, and effective ways.
Jess has been chosen not only because of his seven years of volunteer work for the Center, including serving as chair and/or co-chair of the RED Concert, but also because of his tremendous day-to-day service with TIHAN, the YWCA of Southern Arizona, and many other contributions to the local community, as well as through Amity Foundation, where he serves as Vice President of Services. The Board of the Center for Health and Hope is inspired by Jess’ incredible work on behalf of persons living with HIV and people who are LGBTQIA+, as well as persons recovering from addiction, crime, and violence.
Jess Losoya joins an outstanding list of past recipients of the Center’s Leadership Award: Rev Charlie Arehart, Kevin Carmichael MD, Linda Girard RN, Jon Stetson & Noel Floresca, Claudia Svarstad & Rebecca Harkey, Jim Yancey & Jack Durham, and Pat Fox.
CONCERT DEDICATION: TINA MACBETH
This year’s concert is being dedicated to the memory of Tina MacBeth, a longtime volunteer and supporter of Southern Arizona’s HIV community. Previous Red Concert dedications include Rev. James Burns and Rolly Loomis-DeBise.
See our first announcement above for ticket purchase info and event sponsorship details.
