 |
Second Chance participated in the World Aids Day Celebration held at Ringling College of Art and Design
|
It is Second Chance-Last Opportunity’s belief that HIV/AIDS affects the whole community and the way to stop its spread is by making education and testing accessible to the general population. It is estimated that a quarter of all those individuals who are HIV positive in the USA are currently not yet aware that they are infected. This lack of awareness compromises the infected person’s future and allows them to unknowingly infect others, furthering the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In addition, the minority population is disproportionately affected by the spread of this virus which places even more importance on making education, testing, counseling and referrals easily available.
Second Chance is in an opportune position with offices on the MLK corridor in Sarasota and experience in outreach, which makes us able to gain the trust of a population less likely to access services in tradition medical settings and who are at higher risk of HIV infection. With Second Chance-Last Opportunity providing education and confidential testing in the community, barriers to further education and treatment are reduced and the likelihood of a successful link to medical services is increased.
With this goal in mind and grant funding from the Florida Department of Health, SCLO has begun facilitating The SISTA Project, a peer-led 5 week community-based program aimed at reducing HIV sexual risk behavior in young African-American women through group discussions, lectures, videos, and role play.
Second Chance-Last Opportunity has been certified by the Florida Department of Health as a testing site, authorized to conduct HIV Prevention Counseling, Testing and Linkage Services. In addition, SCLO is a member agency of the HIV/AIDS Network of Southwest Florida (HANS) which is a coalition of local agencies, organizations and individuals involved in reducing the incidence of HIV and AIDS in the community. | 
