Equitas Health

SAVE THE DATE! Art For Life returns on October 25, 2025! ?? ?? Join us in celebrating the Joy & Resilience that artists and their work bring to our lives. Art for Life features a live and a silent auction of artwork from local and national artists connected to Ohio. Proceeds benefit Equitas Health’s comprehensive healthcare services. Stay tuned to our socials for upcoming announcements! ?? ?? Interested in sponsoring Art for Life? Email our Director of Events at [email protected].

LGBTQ+ people are facing growing challenges—and support is more needed today than ever. ?? This spring, join the Equitas Health Institute for a three-part webinar series led by Ramona Peel (they/she) to equip learners with the knowledge and tools to support their LGBTQ+ patients, clients, neighbors, and friends. ?? Understanding LGBTQ+ identities, experiences & health disparities (March 31 at Noon EDT) ?? Actionable strategies to create a welcoming, inclusive environment (April 29 at Noon EDT) ????? Debunking myths & misinformation about gender-affirming care (May 29 at Noon EDT) ?? Register for one or all three today! https://lnkd.in/dGUQK8Ar

We cannot go back! ?? Last week, Equitas Health joined eleven of the nation’s leading LGBTQ+, HIV, and health organizations to raise the alarm about the Trump administration’s planned actions to defund critical HIV prevention efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thank you for joining us in this fight! ?? Read more: https://lnkd.in/g3Cug8Ns ?? TAKE ACTION! For a phone script & how to contact your reps: https://lnkd.in/gDiB2AAh

Equitas Health Mansfield has moved! Catch us at 370 Cline Ave., Suite 5, Mansfield, OH 44907. Thank you!

Join the club! ?? Support each other while managing this thing called life with HIV. At P.E.P. (Peers Empowering Peers) Club, you’ll get: ?? Fresh topics every month. ?? A safe space to be yourself ? Resources for people living with HIV ?? Updates on HIV treatment & healthy living tips ?? Plus, a FREE lunch! Join us at Equitas Health Akron every 4th Friday from 11 AM – 1 PM. For more information, email [email protected] or call (330) 409-9505.

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD) is intentionally held on the first day of spring each year. In Native culture, spring can represent a time of equality and balance, and a time for profound change and new beginnings. ?? For resources & information about #NNHAAD, visit nnhaad.org.

"The government should be in the business of removing barriers to the success of public health programs, not creating instability and fear with broad, abrupt funding cuts.” ???? Equitas Health joined the nation's leading LGBTQ+, HIV, and health organizations to raise the alarm about the Trump administration's planned actions to defund critical HIV prevention efforts at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). ?? Read more: https://lnkd.in/g3Cug8Ns ?? TAKE ACTION! For phone script & how to contact your reps: https://lnkd.in/gDiB2AAh

URGENT ACTION ALERT! ?? Funding cuts to the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention will significantly harm our HIV prevention efforts in the United States and will lead to an increase in new HIV transmissions and AIDS-related deaths. Call your members of Congress and tell them to protect the CDC from funding cuts. Take action NOW! Phone script & contact info below: ?? Find your elected officials by calling the US Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 (Senate); 202-225-3121 (House). *SAMPLE SCRIPT* Hello, My name is _________, I am one of your constituents. I live in _________ and my zipcode is _________. I’m reaching out to speak to you about some extremely distressing reports I have been hearing that The Trump Administration is planning to completely eliminate the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention, as quickly as within the next 24 hours. If the Trump Administration were to follow through on this it would destroy any chance we have to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S., dismantling critical prevention efforts and leading to an unnecessary resurgence of this preventable disease. The work of the CDC Division of HIV Prevention is essential and it is not something that can be covered by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program or by state budgets. If this funding is cut, the services it funds will not be replaced, meaning more people will contract HIV, more people will get sick, and more people will die. I urge you to publicly condemn the proposed elimination of the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention and to demand that the Trump Administration honor its past commitments to ending the HIV epidemic in the US. Thank you for your time. If needed, I can best be reached at _________ [preferred contact information].

We lost a living legend last week. Rest in peace, Darlene Johns. In 1988, Darlene received the diagnosis that changed her life. She refused to let it define her. In a time when HIV was a death sentence and stigma was suffocating, she fought to survive, to raise her daughters, and to carve out a path for others to follow. In 2022, Darlene was honored with the inaugural Shades of Red “Living Legend” award. This award is given to those who advocate for people living with and affected by HIV, fight stigma, and help others live and thrive. Darlene exemplified this award. Darlene’s legacy lives on in the people she helped, loved, and mentored. Sawaun Blakely, Equitas Health’s Volunteer Manager & Shades of Red Visionary, said this about Darlene: “A warrior, an advocate, and a survivor who turned pain into purpose. Darlene’s fight does not end here. On her shoulders, I stand. Because of her, I will continue the fight.” Equitas Health extends our deepest sympathies to Darlene’s family and loved ones. If you would like to read more about her life, visit https://lnkd.in/gSDjxki2

LGBTQIA2S+ research is currently under attack. It is critical that research continues to counter social erasure and discriminatory legislation targeting the transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary (TGNCNB) community. The Equitas Health Institute is proud to launch the Transgender, Gender Non-conforming, and Non-binary Research Protocol Guide. ??????? This guide is not fully exhaustive but offers general guidance to academic researchers and people interested in learning about TGNCNB research. ?? Read more: https://lnkd.in/gtJf7QKB #LGBTQHAW25 #LGBTQHealthAwarenessWeek #LGBTQHealth #TGNCNBHealth