Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bay Area Reporter - June 21, 2007
Raymond J. Aguilera
The program is a collaboration between Steamworks, the city of Berkeley, and the Pacific Center for Human Growth, Berkeley's LGBT community center.
On Friday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m., Aaron Testard, Pacific Center's HIV program manager, will be available on site at Steamworks to discuss any issues members might have, from sex-related questions to substance abuse and mental health concerns. The goal is that this approach to HIV education will help men make informed choices about their sexual behavior, in addition to other aspects of their life.
Juan Barajas, executive director of the Pacific Center stated, "In partnership with the city of Berkeley Office of AIDS and Steamworks, Pacific Center continues to seek out creative HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programs like Mr. Sexx that make our services more available in the community."
The current program operates on a $20,000 budget, with funds coming from the three collaborators as well as private donations. In addition to administering the Mr. Sexx program, the Pacific Center offers an array of group and individual counseling programs, as well as workshops, and outreach and support groups for members of the LGBTQ community.
Mr. Sexx was originally developed by Steamworks and the city of Berkeley, and previously ran at the club for five years. Steamworks currently runs another Mr. Sexx program at its Chicago location. The program was relaunched locally at the end of May. Testard, the new Mr. Sexx provider, has a master's degree in counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, and has extensive experience working with mental health and substance abuse issues.
Nirmalpal Sachdev, Steamworks' director of health information and education programs, said, "Steamworks has been a contributor to the prevention and education community for over 20 years now. We are thrilled that Mr. Sexx now exists at our Berkeley and Chicago locations."
The Mr. Sexx program complements other education efforts by Steamworks. Through collaborations with Asian Health Services, the Berkeley Free Clinic, and AIDS Project of the East Bay, Steamworks hosts regular weekly HIV and STD testing for members. Outreach workers are also available on-site to connect members with community resources.
For a complete schedule of Steamworks' HIV & STD counseling and testing services, visit http://www.steamworksonline.com/. For more information on the Pacific Center, visit www.pacificcenter.org.
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