“You have to go where your audience is, to where your target population is, and you won’t find that in auditoriums like this; it’s where they live every day, and if the interest of your target population that you want to serve is in a beauty pageant, then that is a very legit access point,” added Dr. Kate Leyritana, Medical Director, Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines, Inc.
HOPE Philippines, under the Foundation for the Advancement in Clinical Epidemiology, Inc. (FACE, Inc) and funded by the DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, held the Unang Sibol: Research Dissemination Forum on May 3, 2023 at the Henry Sy Sr. Medical Sciences Building.
The event showcased the group’s accomplishments in implementing community-designed pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medicine. PrEP is a medication for people who are at high risk of acquiring HIV to reduce their chances of becoming infected. It involves taking a daily pill that contains a combination of two antiretroviral drugs and is recommended as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy that includes condom use, regular HIV testing, and other sexually transmitted infection prevention measures.
HOPE Philippines is part of the HOPE Network, a joint international initiative by public funding organizations in East Asia Summit member countries that promote the broader use of PrEP as a vital part of the armamentarium for preventing and controlling HIV and AIDS.
During the past 14 months, the HOPE Philippines team has successfully implemented several activities, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding with three study sites in Mandaluyong, Calamba, and Iloilo City; a crowdsourcing logo contest to increase PrEP use; completed key informant interviews, and focus group discussions among PrEP users and health care providers in the three study sites.
Mr. Roland Sardan, Program Expert of the Department of Health, reported that as of this April 2023, 12,855 individuals are enrolled in PrEP nationwide, with the majority concentrated in urban centers, particularly in Metro Manila. By 2024, the government plans to procure 87,500 bottles of PrEP to increase access and allocation to all regions and facilities.
“Everything starts with science, and data is powerful evidence. But I think the weakness of science is communication. The challenge is to be able to communicate the message. We need to go out, go to the ground, and get to the people. We need creative communications and creative messaging that comes from different sectors,” said Dr. Marissa Alejandria, director, UP Manila National Institutes of Health’s Institute of Clinical Epidemiology.
Ms. Mona Liza Diones, Family Planning Organization of the Philippines-Iloilo program manager, shared her perspective on using social media to raise awareness and promote their services. She emphasized the importance of bringing together different communities and organizations to effectively prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Meanwhile, Dennis Cruz, Love Yourself Inc. senior research manager, explained the organization’s goal of integrating HIV prevention programs into a single, easily accessible platform. He emphasized the importance of volunteers’ efforts in reaching out to specific areas and making the service available to the community, contributing to the program’s success.
“You have to go where your audience is, to where your target population is, and you won’t find that in auditoriums like this; it’s where they live every day, and if the interest of your target population that you want to serve is in a beauty pageant, then that is a very legit access point,” added Dr. Kate Leyritana, Medical Director, Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines, Inc.
In the context of enhancing services for the transgender community, Dr. Leyritana suggested getting a champion from the community itself. This approach would ensure that the transgender community’s unique needs and perspectives are taken into account and could help build trust and rapport with the community.
The event also showcased the collective efforts of HOPE Philippines and partner organizations, including a collaboration with design school, Sustainable HIV & AIDS Awareness through Fashion Tales (SHAFT) project that produced a stunning gown with integrated QR codes leading to an access point website and raising awareness about PrEP.
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Charmaine A. Lingdas
