On July 26th, 2021,  Bienestar hosted a Call to Action webinar on LA County’s soaring STD cases in communities of color. This urgent topic is something we hope to continue to spotlight with community leaders and members and raise awareness until health equity is met.

As Bienestar Human Services CEO Robert Contreras stated at our Call to Action:

• Why can’t we imagine and make real the next phase of STD Action where we work with government and science to finally achieve breakthrough STD vaccines, and make them widely available and free of charge to patients, just like COVID vaccines?
• Can we imagine market reforms that make syphilis treatment Bicillin, which was first patented in the 1950s and which requires two to three treatments, available for a few dollars per injection instead of $200 per shot?
• When we imagine overall health for local communities of color, can we imagine a world where STDs are not surrounded by stigma and fear but instead are routinely screened, detected and treated, or even vaccinated into oblivion?

In case you missed it, feel free to watch our webinar below where you can hear our CEO’s speech first hand, alongside an outstanding presentation on recent data by Dr. Sonali Kulkarni, the Medical Director in the Division of HIV and STD Programs (DHSP) at the Los Angeles County (LAC) Department of Public Health. Afterward, Bienestar client Juan Carlos Plasecenia shared his heartfelt testimony on the importance of providing culturally relevant services when working with underserved communities, and how this has personally impacted his life. 

Also, click here to access Dr. Kulkarni’s slides.

In the next few days, we will be launching a social media campaign spotlighting the current state of STD rates in the United States and LA County. Also, in the near future, we will be working with community partners on a Town Hall to further our cause in finding a solution and reverse the effects of the STD epidemic.

Take care and stay safe,

Bienestar Human Services