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The Village South Prevention

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United States
Miami, FL
The Village South Prevention

The Village HIP is a high impact prevention program that seeks to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Miami- Dade County. We are part of the Westcare Foundation.

We provide a continuum of care for HIV-positive or high risk negative individuals that is cost effective and culturally competent. We serve African American and Hispanic women, as well as gay and bisexual men by providing an array of treatments, interventions, and services that
consist of: outreach, recruitment, HIV testing and counseling, risk behavior screenings, linkage to care, and health prom

otion. The program offers comprehensive prevention services which include care coordination, behavioral risk screenings, interventions focused on treatment adherence and retention to care, and risk reduction counseling for all HIV-positive clients enrolled in the program. All treated individuals who need to receive care services are successfully linked to their appropriate levels of care based upon their individual needs and preferences.

01/28/2025

HIV is treated with antiretroviral meds, which stop the virus from replicating in the body. Current antiretroviral medications does not cure HIV but allows an individual’s immune system to get stronger. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for HIV.

ART lowers the amount of the virus in a person’s body. This stops symptoms and allows people to live full and healthy lives. People living with HIV who are taking ART and who have no evidence of virus in the blood will not spread the virus to their s*xual partners. ART is supposed to be taken daily just as prescribed.

01/27/2025

Greg Louganis is considered the greatest diver in history. He’s a four-time Olympic gold medalist who won the 1984 and 1988 Olympic diving events, making him the only man to win both the springboard and platform events in consecutive Olympic Games.

Greg Louganis is also HIV positive. He was diagnosed during the AIDS crisis, in 1988 when he was 28 years old, just six months prior to the Olympic games. Greg stated that he thought he would not live to see 30. He kept his diagnosis private for several years due to fears of discrimination and societal backlash. In 1995, Louganis publicly disclosed his status in his autobiography, Breaking the Surface.

He became a vocal advocate for HIV education and prevention after publicly revealing his status. Greg has worked to combat the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS, emphasizing the importance of compassion, understanding, and medical advancements.

Greg Louganis's courage in facing his diagnosis and using his platform to educate others has made him a trailblazer in HIV awareness and a role model for resilience. His journey reflects the progress made in HIV treatment and acceptance, as well as the work still needed to eliminate stigma and ensure equality.

01/25/2025

PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is medicine people at risk for HIV take to prevent getting HIV from s*x or injection drug use. PrEP can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading throughout your body.

PrEP reduces the risk of contracting HIV from s*x by about 99% when taken as prescribed. Among people who inject drugs, it reduces the risk by at least 74% when taken as prescribed. PrEP is much less effective when it isn't taken consistently.

PrEP may benefit you if you test negative for HIV and any of the following apply to you if you have had a**l or vaginal s*x in the past 6 months, have a s*xual partner with HIV (especially if the partner has an unknown or detectable viral load), have not consistently used a condom, or have been diagnosed with an STD in the past 6 months.

It might also be beneficial if you inject drugs, have an injection partner with HIV, or share needles, syringes, or other injection equipment.

01/23/2025

HIV can be diagnosed through rapid diagnostic tests that provide same-day results. This facilitates early diagnosis and linkage with treatment and prevention. People can also use HIV self-tests to test themselves.

However, no single test can provide a full HIV positive diagnosis; confirmatory testing is required, conducted by a qualified and trained health worker or community worker.

Most widely used HIV diagnostic tests detect antibodies produced by a person as part of their immune response to fight HIV. In most cases, people develop antibodies to HIV within 28 days of infection.

During this time, people are in the so-called “window period” when they have low levels of antibodies which cannot be detected by many rapid tests, but they may still transmit HIV to others. People who have had a recent high-risk exposure and test negative can have a further test after 28 days.

01/18/2025

HIV spreads more easily in the first few months after contracting the virus, but many are unaware of their status until the later stages. In the first few weeks after contracting the virus there may be no symptoms. Others may have an influenza-like illness including: headaches, sore throat, fever, and rash.

HIV progressively weakens the immune system. This can cause other signs and symptoms: weight loss, cough, diarrhea, and swollen lymph nodes.

Without treatment, people living with HIV infection can also develop severe illnesses like tuberculosis, severe bacterial infections, cryptococcal infections, and cancers such as lymphomas and Kaposi's sarcoma.

01/14/2025

HIV to this day still remains a major global public health issue. It has claimed an estimated 42.3 million lives to date. Transmission is ongoing in all countries globally.

At the end of 2023, there were an estimated 39.9 million individuals living with HIV. In 2023, there was also an estimated 630,000 people who died from HIV-related causes and an estimated 1.3 million people acquired HIV.

There is currently no cure for HIV. However, with access to effective HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care, including for opportunistic infections, HIV infection has become a manageable chronic health condition, enabling people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives.

01/11/2025

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported research has shown that when the virus is undetectable in the bloodstream in people with HIV no s*xual transmission occurs which is known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U). U=U is a game changer because it enables people with HIV and their partners to be in a relationship without fear of transmitting HIV.

People with HIV can maintain an undetectable viral load by taking an HIV medicine called antiretroviral therapy, or ART, exactly as prescribed. However, antiretroviral therapy does not cure HIV. HIV is still in the body when viral load is suppressed, even when it is undetectable.

01/09/2025

Serodiscordant couples or serodifferent couples are couples where one partner is HIV+ and the other partner is HIV-. If the positive partner had a detectable viral load, it is always recommended that the negative partner takes PrEP and that the couple use condoms.

If the positive partner has an undetectable viral load, they are not able to pass the virus through s*x. The negative partner can maintain a negative status throughout the course of the relationship and the couple is even able to have kids who are negative. It is extremely important that the HIV+ partner adheres to their treatment and take their medication as instructed by their doctor.

01/07/2025

HIV can be transmitted through the exchange of body fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal recreations, breast milk. It can also be transmitted from a mother to her child during pregnant and delivery. Someone cannot contract the virus through ordinary day-to-day contact such as shaking hands, kissing, hugging, or sharing personal objects, food or water.

It is important to remember that individuals with HIV who are taking medication and are virally suppressed do not transmit HIV to their s*xual partners. Early access to medication and support to remain on treatment is extremely important not only to improve the health of individuals with HIV but also to prevent HIV transmission.

12/28/2024

Taking post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) means taking antiretroviral medicine after being potentially exposed to HIV to prevent becoming infected. PEP should only be used in emergency situations and has to be taken within 72 hours after being exposed for 28 days.

It is important to remember that PEP is not meant for regular use by individuals that might be exposed frequently to the virus. It is also not intended to replace regular use of other HIV preventions.

12/26/2024

Princess Diana was a big advocate for HIV and ending the stigma against HIV/AIDS. In 1987, during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Princess Diana opened the United Kingdom’s first HIV unit at the London Middles*x Hospital. This unit was created to be able to treat exclusively individuals that were infected with the virus.

It is also well known that at that time, people incorrectly thought that you could get infected with HIV through touching people that were HIV positive (this is NOT true). Princess Diana was photographed shaking hands without any gloves with people that were HIV positive, at the time this was considered a risk. She hoped that this would be able to dismiss the false claims and would help to break the stigma surrounding HIV. By her doing this, it publicly challenged that belief that HIV was transmitted by touch.

Princess Diana also became an official patron of the National AIDS Trust and spoke at many of their events. She continued fighting to end HIV/AIDS stigma throughout her life.

12/25/2024

Early detection for HIV is extremely important. The signs and symptoms of HIV can vary from person to person. Some individuals might have symptoms while some other might have no symptoms at all and others might experience symptoms years later.

Even if an individual does not have symptoms for HIV, testing is important for everyone but especially for individuals that are at high risk of contracting it. After testing and diagnosis, individuals that are living with HIV can receive the effective treatment that they need.

Address

Miami, FL

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+13055733784

Website

https://westcare.com/page/where-we-serve_FL_hiv

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Our Story

The Village HIP is a High Impact Prevention Program that seeks to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Miami- Dade County. We provide free HIV testing, free condoms, and a continuum of care for HIV-positive and high risk negative individual. We serve all members of Miami-Dade County to include African American and Hispanic women, as well as gay and bis*xual men by providing an array of treatments, interventions, and services that consist of: Outreach, recruitment, HIV testing, pre and post test counseling, risk behavior screenings, linkage to care, and health promotion. The program offers comprehensive care coordination, treatment adherence and retention to care for all HIV-positive clients enrolled in the program. All treated individuals who need to receive care services are successfully linked to their appropriate levels of care based upon their individual needs and preferences. We are part of the WestCare Foundation.