CLINTON COUNTY, Pa. — Staff fill goodie bags inside the North Central District Allied Connections office in Lamar Township as they prepare to host the organization's first Project Teach program.
"Project Teach is an initiative that is based out of Philadelphia, so we're partnered with Philadelphia Fight, and they are going to come in and do this education for us, and the education is for individuals living with HIV, and it really helps," said executive director Natasha Gorham.
Project Teach helps people living with HIV and AIDS become advocates for their own health.
Workers at North Central Allied District Connections got involved with the program to support the individuals they serve on a daily basis.
"This has been an initiative that has been going on in other region, so since we saw the success there, we were like, 'Let's try it in our communities.' We do have different make-ups in each region, so we are predominately rural, so we're really excited to bring this to our individuals and really help them really become confident in their own advocacy," Gorham said.
The six-hour classes will run April 8 through April 12 in Williamsport. Participants will learn about the basics of HIV and AIDS and how to talk to and educate others about the disease.
"There's been a lot of progress in the treatment, so folks that medically adhere to their medication regimens no longer can transmit HIV to others if their viral load is undetectable, so the CDC recognizes that prevention as treatment, and undetectable equals untransmittable," Gorham explained.
Staff at the North Central District Allied Connections hope when participants graduate from the program, they get involved with outreach programs and speak to communities about what it's like living with HIV and AIDS.