Project STYLE (Strength Through Youth Livin’ Empowered) was a health awareness program that focused on young men who have sex with men (YMSM). It was designed to increase identification, testing, and HIV services for young men of color, particularly Black MSM between the ages of 18-24, who were at risk for or were living with HIV in North Carolina. In conjunction with medical care, patients were also offered appointment reminders by text messaging, prevention counseling, treatment adherence counseling, mental health counseling, and support groups. Research involved documenting the lived experiences of these young men and understanding the social determinants of HIV infection in this community.
Learn more about this project: Hightow-Weidman, Lisa B., et al. “Keeping them in “STYLE”: finding, linking, and retaining young HIV-positive black and Latino men who have sex with men in care.” AIDS patient care and STDs 25.1 (2011): 37-45. [PubMed]. Read more about STYLE in “How SPNS Initiatives Support the Fight Against HIV Stigma.”