The 5th National Conference on Health Issues in the Arab American Community
Pre-Conference Workshop I:
HIV/AIDS: The Silence is Broken, the Fight Continues!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008

With more then 40 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, it is clear that the disease does not discriminate by name, age, race, or ethnicity. Its impact on Arab Americans is just as significant as in all communities around the world. In this workshop, leaders in the Arab American Community will work together to recognize the growing threats of the disease and will collectively break their silence and act against the epidemic. A report on ACCESS’ forum and its repercussions in the community will be available for workshop attendees. This workshop will deliver the following:

Objectives:

• To encourage conversation on local and international discussions about HIV/AIDS and to look for ways that the Arab American community can augment its response to the pandemic
• To highlight ACCESS’ efforts addressing HIV/AIDS in the Arab American community
• To educate about the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Arab American community by presenting practical modules to address the pandemic

AGENDA

8:00 am	Registration and Breakfast
9:00 am	Welcoming Remarks Andrea Awada, President of the Board, ACCESS
9:10 am	Workshop Overview
	Adnan Hammad, PhD, Director, ACCESS Community Health & Research Center; Chair, 5th National Conference on Health Issues in the Arab American Community Overview-ACCESS’ Battle to Break the Silence of HIV/AIDS in the Arab American Community
9:20 am	Miguel Gomez, Director, AIDS.gov, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy (OHAP), Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS)
9:30 am	Beverly Watts Davis, MS, Senior Advisor to the Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) HIV/AIDS in Ethnic Minorities: Perspectives, Challenges, Opportunities
10:00 am	Kevin Fenton, MD, PhD, Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services Cultural Perspective of HIV/AIDS
10:45 am	Break
11:00 am	HIV/AIDS in the US and Around the Globe
Moderator:	Abu S. Abdul-Quader, PhD, Epidemiology and Strategic Information Branch, Monitoring and Evaluation, Global AIDS Program, The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
11:00 am	Belgacem Sabri, MD, Director, Health Systems & Services          Development, World Health Organization (WHO), Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, Egypt The Merging Socioeconomic and Cultural Status of the Arab World and its Impact on the Epidemic of HIV/AIDS
11:30 am	Jacques Mokhbat, MD, Department of Medicine, Lebanese University Faculty of the Medical Sciences, Lebanon Perception, Attitude and Belief of HIV/AIDS in Lebanon and the Arab World Abroad
12:00 pm	Miguel Gomez, Director, AIDS.gov, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy (OHAP), Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Positive or Not Demonstrations
	Questions & Answers
12:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm	HIV Prevention and Testing; How We Broke the Silence of the Disease in the Arab American Community (the ACCESS Experience)
Moderator:	Adnan Hammad, PhD, Director, ACCESS Community Health and Research Center
1:30 pm	Loretta Davis, Director, Public Health, Wayne County Health Department Perspective of HIV/AIDS Status in Wayne County With Emphasis onArab Americans
1:45 pm	Dinah Ayna, Former Substance Abuse Prevention Program Coordinator, ACCESS Arab American Women’s Experience in Screening and Fighting HIV/AIDS
2:00 pm	Christiano Ramazzotti, HIV/AIDS & STI Prevention Program     Coordinator, ACCESS HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs in Arab/Chaldean American                              Communities
2:15 pm	HIV Testing Demonstration
	Questions & Answers
2:30 pm	Response Panel by Community Faith Based Leaders
Moderator:	Abdallah Boumediene, Operations Manager, ACCESS Community Health & Research Center
Panelists:	Hon. David Allen, Vice President of the Board, ACCESS Dr. Hassan Dakroub, Physician, ACCESS Clinic Imam Mohamad Mardini, American Muslim Center PLWH/affected family member/caretaker George Shalhoub, Reverend, The Basilica of St. Mary's

3:30 pm	Capacity Building – Small Workgroups Reporting Back by Small Groups Summary of the Pre-Conference HIV/AIDS Workshop Next Steps Evaluation
4:30 pm	Workshop Summation and Evaluation

This workshop is supported by the Center for Disease Control (CDC and The Office of HIV/AIDS Policy’s Leadership Campaign on AIDS, a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Community Health HIV/AIDS division (MDCH).