Reunion Latina 2021

Responding to the Impact of HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs in Our Communities

Reunion Latina is a three-day virtual training institute that aims to improve the health of Latinos and minorities,
and bring together Latino and Latino-serving organizations on drafting solutions to health challenges.

About Reunion Latina

The Latino Commission on AIDS has hosted Reunion Latina since 1996 and has provided a space for providers and stakeholders to discuss ways to improve services, share strategies on how to overcome health challenges, unify our efforts to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, address viral Hepatitis and STIs and craft a common vision to eliminate health disparities in Latino communities.

The three-day virtual training institute will focus on responding to HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs, stigma and other health issues in Hispanic/Latinx communities in the times of COVID-19. The overall goal is to advance our public health response, improve the sustainability of organizations and strengthen programs that serve our communities as we also recognize and address the current challenges.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsoring Reunion Latina builds visibility for your brand or organization, connects you with diverse organizations and decision-makers and gives you a forum to share your organization’s message and expertise to the 800+ registrants that are expected to attend. Your sponsorship allows Reunion Latina to create impactful programming, sponsor informational and educational opportunities for people living with and at risk for HIV.

SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE

Fund Reunion Latina

Consider making a contribution to the Latino Commission on AIDS for Reunion Latina. Your support allows us to continue to highlight the effect of HIV/AIDS in our communities, to support our work on the front lines in Latino neighborhoods, and to make sure that HIV/AIDS policy fully addresses the needs of Latino families affected by the epidemic.

DONATION LINK

Program

Explore the conference program.

Day 1
Wednesday, May 5
Day 2
Thursday, May 6
Day 3
Friday, May 7

OPEN PLENARY

Registration for full day of activities:

REGISTER

1:00pm-2:30pm ET

Update on COVID-19

Description: an overview of the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and Latinx communities, intro into the social determinants that impact transmission, challenges of the vaccination and reaching communities.

Moderator:
Guillermo Chacón – President of the Latino Commission on AIDS; Founder of the Hispanic Health Network
Speaker:
Paulina A. Rebolledo, MD MSc – Assistant Professor of Medicine and Global Health Division of Infectious Disease, Emory University School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health

Plenary: The State of Health in Hispanic/Latinx Communities

Description:Join our keynote speakers to discuss the state of health of Hispanic and Latinx communities in the U.S and Puerto Rico. The impact of HIV, HCV and STD and what are we seeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Moderator:
Guillermo Chacón – President of the Latino Commission on AIDS; Founder of the Hispanic Health Network
Speakers:
Johanne E. Morne, MS – Director of New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute
Ivan Melendez-Rivera, MD FAAFP AAHIVS – Chief Medical and Operating Officer, Centro Ararat in Puerto Rico
Demetre Daskalakis, MD MPH – Director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS

Register individually for each session

1:00pm-2:00pm ET

Our Communities: The Impact of Social Determinants of Health

Description: Within Hispanic/Latinx communities there have been communities disproportionately impacted by disparities due to the gender identity and sexual orientation. Join us to discuss the disparities on MSM, Transgender and Gender non-binary folks and Cisgender Woman

Moderator:
Frank Julca – Latino Gay/Bi Men’s Initiatives Manager, Latino Commission on AIDS
Speakers:
Nathaly Rubio-Torio, LMSW – Executive Director, Voces Latinas, Corp
Maria L Roman Taylorson – Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, The TransLatin@ Coalition
Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MPH, LCSW, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, AAHIVS, FAAN – Professor and Director, Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health Associate Vice Provost, Center for Faculty Advancement, New York University

REGISTER

1:00pm-2:00pm ET

Engagement to effectively reach Hispanic/Latinx communities for COVID-19Vaccination

Description: Join us to discuss how we can ensure that our communities (Latinx, People of Color and LGBTQ+) have equal access to the COVID-19 vaccines. What is the message and how we bring it to our communities?

Moderator:
Gabriela Santana Betancourt, DrPH, MPH, MA – Director of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, Hands United Capacity Building Assistance, Latino Commission on AIDS
Speakers:
Luis A. Mares, LMSW – Director of Community Mobilization Programs, Latino Commission on AIDS
Julissa Gutierrez – Chief Diversity Officer at New York State, Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

REGISTER

2:30pm-3:30pm ET

Mental Health and Substance Use

Description: COVID-19 has impacted many of our communities when it comes to mental health and substance use. Join us to discuss the increase of incidence of mental health and substance use in our communities and how can we help.

Moderator:
Luis A. Mares, LMSW – Director of Community Mobilization Programs, Latino Commission on AIDS
Speakers:
Oscar Raul Lopez – CEO/Lead Capacity Building Trainer, Poderosos
Allan Clear – Director, Drug User Health, AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health
Dennis O. Romero, MA – Regional Administrator, SAMHSA / DHHS Region II

REGISTER

2:30pm-3:30pm ET

National Community Response to COVID-19

Description: Join us to discuss the institutional impact of COVID-19 in People of Color led and serving organizations. Where we are and what’s next for the stronger together partnership?

Moderator:
Daniel Castellanos, MPH, DrPH – Director of Research and Innovation, Latino Commission on AIDS
Speakers:
Raniyah Copeland, MPH – President & CEO, Black AIDS Institute
Lance Toma, LCSW – CEO, San Francisco Community Health Center

REGISTER

CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOPS

Register individually for each session

1:00pm-2:00pm ET

Tailoring Strategies: Successful Navigation Models

Description:COVID-19 has pushed us to tailor our navigation models. Join us to discuss best practices from the CBA and direct services perspective.

Moderator:
Luis A. Mares, LMSW – Director of Community Mobilization Programs, Latino Commission on AIDS
Speakers:
Bolivar Nieto, MA – Director, CBA Operations, Hands United, Latino Commission on AIDS
Alberto Medina – Navigation Manager, Latino Commission on AIDS / OASIS

REGISTER

1:00pm-2:00pm ET

The R.E.A.L EQUITY Framework

Description:What is “health equity” exactly? And how do we measure it? This workshop will provide participants with an overview of equity definitions and measurement in public health, and discuss the relevance and importance of health equity in Latinx communities. We will close out the workshop by presenting The REAL Equity Framework, a homegrown conceptual approach to developing public health responses that include equity as a salient indicator of impact.

Moderator:
Frank Julca – Latino Gay/Bi Men’s Initiatives Manager, Latino Commission on AIDS
Speaker:
Gabriela Santana Betancourt, DrPH, MPH, MA – Director of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Hands United Capacity Building Assistance, Latino Commission on AIDS

REGISTER

2:30pm-3:30pm ET

Capacity and Community Building: Hispanic/Latinx in the South shaping our Future

Description:For the past decade we have seen a growth of Hispanic/Latinx communities, what are their needs and how we can shape healthier communities through capacity and community building.

Moderator:
Judith Montenegro – Program Director, Latinos in the Deep South, Latino Commission on AIDS
Speakers:
Daniel Valdez – Director of North Carolina and Mid-South Operations Hispanic Federation
Alejandro Acosta – Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, Southern AIDS Coalition
Pedro Viloria – Advocacy & Field Lead, Latino Community Fund

REGISTER

Speakers

Meet some of the healthcare champions

Alejandro Acosta

Southern AIDS Coalition

Director of Public Policy & Advocacy at the Southern AIDS Coalition, Alejandro is an HIV advocate, educator, author, sexual health trainer, and LGBTQ advocate.

Gabriela Santana Betancourt, DrPH, MPH, MA

Latino Commission on AIDS

She is the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning at the Hands United Capacity Building Assistance of the Commission

Guillermo Chacon

Latino Commission on AIDS

President of the Commission and founder of the Hispanic Health Network, he has been a vocal advocate on the impact of HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, and other chronic conditions.

Allan Clear

New York State Department of Health

Mr. Clear is the Director of the NYS Department of Health, AIDS Institute’s Office of Drug User Health

Raniyah Copeland, MPH

Black AIDS Institute

She is the President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, the nation’s only national HIV/AIDS think and do tank

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, MD, MPH

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

He is the Director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC. He was integral in leading many HIV and STD programs in New York City.

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MPH, LCSW, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, AAHIVS, FAAN

New York University

He is a professor at New York University (NYU) and the director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health (CLAFH).

Julissa Gutierrez

Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

She serves as the Chief Diversity Officer at New York State, Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Oscar Raúl Lopez

Poderosos

Mr. Lopez is the CEO and Lead Capacity Building Trainer at Poderosos, an organization that serves the health needs of Lations in the U.S.–Mexican border.

Luis A. Mares, LMSW

Latino Commission on AIDS

He is the Director of Community Mobilization Programs at the Commission. He oversees the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day campaign (NLAAD)

Alberto Medina

Latino Commission on AIDS

He is an LGBTQ activist and advocate for the Latino and African American communities. He currently works as Navigator Manager at OASIS Latino LGBTS Wellness Center.

Ivan Melendez-Rivera, MD, FAAFP, AAHIVS

Centro Ararat

He is the founder of Centro Ararat, a non-profit private multidisciplinary healthcare center. Today, he acts as the Chief Medical and Operating Officer of this HIV/AIDS clinic.

Johanne E. Morne, MS

New York State Department of Health

She currently serves as Director of the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) AIDS Institute. Ms. Morne has been with the AIDS Institute for more than 13 years.

Bolivar Nieto, MA

Latino Commission on AIDS

He is the Director of Operations for Hands United, the technical assistance (TA) program at the Commission . Bolivar has more than 15 years of experience providing national, regional, and local TA.

Paulina A. Rebolledo, MD MSc

Emory University School of Medicine

She currently holds dual appointments in the Division of Infectious Disease and Department of Global Health at Emory University and is an attending physician at Grady Memorial Hospital and the Grady Infectious Disease Clinic (IDP).

Maria L. Roman Taylorson

TransLatin@ Coalition

She is the Vice President & Chief Operations Officer of The TransLatin@ Coalition, a national organization that focuses on addressing the issues of transgender Latin@s in the United States.

Dennis O. Romero, M.A.

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services

He is the first Regional Administrator, DHHS Region II for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Nathaly Rubio-Torio, LMSW

Voces Latinas

Founder and Executive Director of Voces Latinas, she is a Licensed social worker committed to fighting HIV and violence in the immigrant Latino community for the past 20 years.

Lance Toma, LCSW

San Francisco Community Health Center

He is the CEO of San Francisco Community Health Center (SFCHC) and has been dedicated to the work of SFCHC since 1999.

Daniel Valdez

Hispanic Federation

He is the Director of North Carolina and Mid-South Operations where he support and strengthen Latino nonprofits and the communities they serve.

Pedro Viloria

Latino Community Fund

He is the Advocacy & Field Lead at the Latino Community Fund where he works with migrant farmworker communities in South Georgia.

Session Recordings

Watch all the sessions from this year's conference. See playlist here.

OPEN PLENARY - DAY 1

WORKSHOP 1 - DAY 2

WORKSHOP 2 - DAY 2

WORKSHOP 3 - DAY 2

WORKSHOP 4 - DAY 2

CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP 1 - DAY 3

CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP 2 - DAY 3

CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP 3 - DAY 3

TESTIMONIALS

What attendees have to say about Reunion Latina

I learned stategies in how HIV can be taught inside of communities of faith, no just in health centers. I learned that we Latinas are disproportionately impacted by HIV.

Alicia Vasquez Peer Educator

All workshops are facilitated in a friendly, safe and confidential environment. I feel connected with the information I receive and I value the expertise of the presenters.

Oscar Rodolfo Alas Volunteer

Reunion Latina has provided a forum to expose the challenges and needs of transgender individuals; an opportunity to communicate their quest for acceptance, validation and presence.

Michele Sosa Activist