AIMING to educate persons on sexual health and tackling the HIV epidemic, the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) will be providing a series of free webinars throughout the remainder of the year.

According to a press release, this is being done in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

These webinars are open to HIV clinicians as well as other interested medical professionals.

“As we continue to shape the regional HIV response through enhanced knowledge generation, sharing, and learning among PANCAP members, it is hoped that this webinar series will certainly increase learning opportunities among HIV clinicians as they are exposed to conventionally accepted best practices throughout the Caribbean region and wider afield, with regard to the delivery of best quality evidenced-based treatment and care for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) within the CARICOM region,” Dr. Shanti Singh Anthony, PANCAP’s Knowledge Management Coordinator, underscored.

The first webinar titled: Promoting Sexual Health and Wellness in Primary Care, was held on September 14, and was facilitated by Dr. Keosha T. Bond, an Assistant Medical Professor in the Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, at the CUNY School of Medicine.

It was said that the webinar focused on the essential components of sexual health history and provided tips for facilitating patient-focused discussions on sexual health.

It also discussed the promotion of sexual health and wellness among sexual and gender-diverse populations.

The primary objectives of the first session were to define barriers that may prevent providers and patients from discussing sexual health issues, identify elements of a comprehensive sexual health history using pleasure-based approaches and discuss strategies for having conversations about sexual health and wellness.

“PANCAP invites medical professionals particularly HIV clinicians to take full advantage of the training opportunities being offered through this FREE webinar series so that they can broaden their knowledge and equip themselves with the requisite skills to professionally deliver high-quality care and treatment to PLHIV within the region,” the release stated.

It was said that participants for the first webinar were from Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Jamaica, Haiti, Belize, Turks and Caicos, British Virgin Islands, United States of America and the United Kingdom.

The next scheduled webinar will be on September 28, 2023, at 11:00 hours and will be facilitated by Dr. Omar Sued, Advisor in HIV Treatment and Care for PAHO. He will be presenting on the topic: Critical Interventions to Scale up HIV Care and Treatment and Early Linkage to Care.

To register for this FREE webinar, use the link:
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1197449960069235808