San Diego has a new anonymous online community resource in Poz Link (www.pozlinksd.com) for people living with HIV that provides valuable support and information that can be accessed from phone, tablet or computer.
Poz Link is a free online and social community for individuals living with HIV and those who care about them. Developed by Family Health Centers of San Diego’s (FHCSD) Gay Men’s Health Program it provides a central location for information such as upcoming events, resources, and connecting with others impacted by HIV in San Diego.
With news integrated directly from Twitter and Facebook, real time information is readily available in various feeds. From outreach messages such as the ‘Fight Stigma’ campaign to the latest research updates, with Poz Link you’ll never be out of touch and always have the latest news at hand.
Membership is free. Creating a profile takes just a few minutes and allows full access to the site, which has seen an impressive growth pace by more than double each week since its launch earlier this year.
Poz Link is a continuation of work started by San Diego Young Positives, founded in 2004 by friends Rafael Acevedo and Kaleb James with a goal to address the needs of recently infected HIV + individuals. The intent was to connect and become informed on how to best manage living with HIV.
Rafael explains, “Recently infected HIV+ men were experiencing a second coming out and needed to learn how to feel ‘normal’ again. In other words, they needed to learn how to be more than their HIV status.”
The site has been designed from the ground up with several social elements including a chat room, forums and blogs. Poz Link has a growing online community with members who advocate for one another through the site’s forums and chat room. Users can share real life experiences such as taking HIV medications and related side effects or experiences about disclosing their positive status to a partner.
According to Bob Lewis, director of Special Populations at FHCSD, “Our providers do a great job of providing education and support to people living with HIV, and with the addition of Poz Link we are now able to provide increased supportive services linking individuals with shared experiences to create a peer support network.”
San Diego County has the third largest number of HIV and AIDS cases in California; and California has the second highest number of cases in the U.S. To date, there is an estimated 20,000 diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases in San Diego County.
Connect with resources, support and other HIV+ individuals on Poz Link.
Visit Poz Link at www.pozlinksd.com.
Connect with Poz Link on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pzlnk.
Follow Poz Link on Twitter @pozlink
