Community Mobilization “How-To” Guide Released

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) September 19, 2011 -- TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Health (DOH) today released a “how-to” informational resource guide for community mobilization. The guide was developed to assist DOH’s Bureau of HIV/AIDS’s efforts to mobilize Florida’s most vulnerable populations that are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS.

The guide is designed for community leaders, community-based organizations, individuals, civic groups, county health departments, and others who want to stimulate change in a community around health and social issues. Available for download on WeMaketheChange.com, the document identifies key steps in the community mobilization process, stressing the role and responsibility of the coordinator or community leader. The steps include: informing the community by raising awareness of the issue; inviting community participation by key leaders; and, building trust, credibility, and a sense of ownership within the community.

“The bottom line is that we need the community to help combat the HIV/AIDS crisis,” stated Ronald Henderson, statewide minority AIDS coordinator and co-author of the guide. “Mobilization as well as HIV testing and linkage to care are all necessary pieces of the puzzle. While there is no perfect way to mobilize a community, following these key steps will lend success to statewide efforts.”

To illustrate the importance and effects of community mobilization, the document also outlines several successful initiatives such as:

• Sistas Organizing to Survive: A program that unites black women in the fight against HIV/AIDS, which resulted in more than 104,000 HIV tests in 2010.
• The Shawl Circle: A community level intervention campaign with tribal Nations in Florida, which resulted in a 10% increase in HIV testing among Florida’s American Indian population.
• Silence is Death: A prevention program in St. Lucie County, which resulted in the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among blacks decreasing from 1 in 35 in 2005, to 1 in 40 in 2010.

• AME Church: A partnership with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, which provides at least one test location in each of Florida’s 67 counties. The State of Florida was the first health department in the nation to partner with a major black church denomination.

Launched by the Florida Department of Health in 1999, We Make the Change (WMTC) is a statewide campaign designed to increase the awareness of HIV/AIDS and its impact on minority communities throughout Florida. For more information about the “how-to” guide or the campaign, visit www.WeMaketheChange.com or follow @wmtcfl on Twitter.

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