UAMS Focuses on HIV/AIDS Awareness with April 12 KISS Event
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will host the inaugural KISS (Keeping It Sweet & Simple) event on Saturday, April 12.
Open to women and girls ages 13 and up, the KISS event aims to educate and empower attendees through a series of interactive activities and presentations focused on HIV awareness, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), substance use, mental health and domestic violence. Attendees can also take part in art activities and HIV screenings. Lunch will be provided, as will samples of lipstick and lip liner.
The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Awareness Center, Inc., located at 900 S. Pine St. in Little Rock. The event is hosted by the UAMS Gap Services Program with support from Words of Serenity and ViiV Healthcare. For more information or to register for the event, visit https://tinyurl.com/KISSApril12.
“This event is an important step in raising awareness and providing essential health education for women and girls in our community,” said LaTunja Sockwell, an instructor in the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine’s Community Research Group. “By combining informative sessions with engaging activities, we hope to create a supportive environment where attendees can learn, connect and take proactive steps toward their well-being.”
The event was initially scheduled for March, but postponed because of weather, in recognition of Women and Girls’ HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which is observed annually on March 10 to highlight the impact of HIV and AIDS on women and girls and to promote strategies for prevention and treatment. This year marks the 20th annual observance of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###