Disease Prevention
The Positive Self-Management Program for HIV (PSMP)
The Niagara County AIDS Task Force will utilize the Positive Self-Management Program for HIV (PSMP), developed by Stanford University, to address the needs of those living in Niagara County who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
The PSMP is a group health education and skills building workshop to help individuals actively self-manage their disease. The workshop aims to instruct people on how to integrate medicine regimens into daily life to improve adherence; techniques to deal with problems like fear, isolation, and fatigue; exercise for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility, and endurance; communicating with family and health professionals around one’s disease; nutrition; symptom evaluation and management; and evaluation of new or alternative treatments.
Education and Prevention of HIV/AIDS and Other Communicable Diseases in Grades 4 through 6
It is clear that efforts are needed to reduce the rate of HIV infection among young people. One approach is to offer HIV/AIDS prevention education in the elementary grades before children begin normal adolescent exploration and risk taking.
This training program seeks to educate 4th-6th grade students on basic HIV transmission, disease, and prevention to reduce the likelihood of risk behavior and to provide a foundation for later HIV/AIDS education.
Parents interested in discussing HIV prevention with their children can follow this link to access New York State Health Department publications, including a parents’ guide to the topic and comic books for youngsters that contain age-appropriate HIV-avoidance information.