>> Hiv and AIDS cases across the country have seen consistent dips overall except for a young Latino men who have seen a spike in HIV cases in recent years.

So what's causing the alarming increase and what could be done to combat it?

Joining us, our federal Alonso of Chicago, Latina Collaborative and via Zoom.

We have won 5 most about them research, assistant professor and associate director of the lab for cables, mental health at Northwestern University School of Medicine.

And they got few minutes director of health of public health initiatives for the Puerto Rican Culture Center.

Thank you all for joining us on this very important topic of the capital.

I want to start with you, and bisexual.

know, men make up the greatest share of new HIV cases.

Could you walk us through some of the factors behind this rise?

>> I think one of the things that we is that one of the fact is this to the lack of education that is not being given to the community.

And I also since he's been associated with men or men who have men, that statement is very, very persistent.

And the Puerto Rican and Latino community here.

I think one of the things that we have to do in last one is that in the schools and the Chicago Public schools on, fortunately, the teaching of HIV and the circumstances around it and how to protect.

He's not being talk.

So we have a whole generation of young people who are not educated, not inform and not be and not being aware the situation of what HIV can do.

>> And it saying it should be part of education in public schools.

>> Without a doubt, I mean that the whole thing to say that we talk about sexuality in school that you're inviting young people to have.

It's not as there's no reality to that.

Kids are going to have matter you say yes or no.

Is the whole thing of that we and that they can bake preventative measures in order to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

And of course, HIV.

>> And feather your organization recently created a campaign called by out there Prep for you and Let's watch part of the at church.

>> Well, that they leave for work for team.

It's easy to take a pill once a day.

When you wake up before you go to bed.

And if those don't make sense for you will soon have different options such as long-lasting injectables vaginal brings in morning.

>> How easy is it to get on prop?

You can ask your doctor or any provider you're comfortable with her prescription.

>> Can you tell me the importance of these ads?

>> Absolutely.

So when it comes health promotion campaigns like our without the proper, you would be campaign.

We wanted to send a more casual friendly tone to have exactly where the conversations that Ricardo mentioned were important to have between individuals, friends, family 18 on on him.

What it means to G B T Q within the Latin community in combat.

That stigma and raise awareness of HIV in the steps that we can take towards preventing that.

So that's really what the whole campaign was about.

It's produced by a local Chicago, lot deals.

You can secure artists in collaboration with local ambassadors.

And that was the really the main overall goal of If it still really important to bring out ads like this absolutely week to continue to not only come promoting I home-brewed are homegrown organic campaigns versus, you know, flashy.

Marketing style campaigns.

I think that the message hits home a little closer.

>> And one, I want to go to you.

What can you tell us about the local data in Chicago?

>> Yeah.

Force and thank you so much for having and wish I could provide a more up-to-date results.

But as of 2022, we see 700 new HIV diagnoses diagnoses, which is also really similar to a 22,000 people living with HIV that are living Chicago.

think what really demonstrates like the progress that we've made here in Chicago Reef is how many programs are expanding access to prep.

Is this our medical panel that you can take daily, which shown briefly in this ad?

And with you know, specifically like we've seen this incredible disparity with even though they have access to it, they know what it is.

There's still so many barriers in place that prevent them from using prep, even and cities as large as Chicago.

And that's definitely a research priority that we're trying to address question.

>> Some member Cardinal, tell us a bit about your story.

How did you get involved in LGBTQ+?

advocacy work?

Why is this work important to you?

>> I think when we look at history of the Puerto Rican court, Houston and then establishing a I'm not sure to deal with the reality of what was happening in 1980's.

We knew that that time that the plague, they called it.

But when we looked into community, this is what's not happening in our communities.

We were seeing other being infected with HIV and that's when we saw that no one of the ways of transfusions intravenous drug use and hatred in to just use to people are having substance abuse problems to look how to they survive in a lot of resort 2 work.

And this had that lead to in the neighborhood.

People use the services, but unfortunately, historically Latinos blacks to not condoms.

It's just one of these problems that we've never at never have believed would fully.

And then they would have comeback to there partners, whoever it may be.

And in fact, them eventually Puerto Rican come up with in the UN says 10 show months infections and that reality was reflected that per population.

Puerto Rican Psi, one of the highest-rated in HIV infection, not only for men, but also for women.

So Puerto Rican culture Center took it to this measure to make sure that we made a prevented form and deal with in the community and the status of the that's either and the the see the use, of course, life.

And even though you are see the is 8 and even though you to have life and we started dealing with them on the medical level and then started to go into the community to in order to deal with a crisis that was being forgotten by the rest of You have you have a really long history in Humble park.

>> With with advocacy Pedro, want to go to you.

There's a notable mistrust in the medical system among Latinos and people of color.

Can you speak to that a little further.

>> Try to do my best and sort of on time.

But honestly, what about the issue with HIV Latino communities and all really all populations?

From a public health perspective?

We need to look at our history.

look at the way public health in Madison has been has treated racial and ethnic minorities in a particular gender minorities as well in the history of the U.S. We can look at all of the different examples mistreatment that's occurred over time and help to help us understand why today we continue to see mistrust in health, medicine and science, which also enables and facilitates spread of misinformation and disinformation through today.

So we can look back at examples of sterilization of one man, you know, black men being subjected to syphilis for the sake of science and DOT I'm it continues to impact us today.

One thing I'd like to say regards to moving forward on this is when we look at who is in the leadership of public health and medicine regards to, let's say after make up scholars and professors.

Even though let the user 20%, almost 30% of the U.S. population.

We are 3 to 4% of professors of public health and medicine.

So we have huge leadership gap and that's really is least for me the call to action of mobilizing and encouraging Latinos her leadership roles