ICAN Programs
ICAN offers a variety of HIV/AIDS education and prevention services to the wider community in continuing the fight to eliminate new infections. Probation Program Attendance at ICAN's three-hour HIV/AIDS awareness class earns probationers (persons coming out of the criminal justice system) 15 hours of community service. The price to attend is $20 cash, and classes are held almost every Wednesday at 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at ICAN's Centex Center conference room. To sign-up call 239-337-2391 or email . Classes are taught in both Spanish and English. SISTA (Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics of AIDS) SISTA provides peer education to young African American women in Lee and Collier Counties.
The behavioral modification intervention targets high risk heterosexual women and consists of five two-hour training sessions covering gender and ethnic pride, HIV/AIDS education, and sexual negotiation skills. There were 157 graduates of the SISTA program in fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. The SISTA Program lost its Closing the Gap funding on June 30, 2009, but is continuing due to the commitment of ICAN's great volunteers. VOICES/VOCES (Video Opportunities for Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex) VOICES/VOCES Project is a single-session, video-based HIV/AIDS/STD's prevention workshop designed to reduce the risk of HIV infection among heterosexual African-American and Hispanic adults, ages 18 and over. VOICES/VOCES is currently funded by the United Way Grant. There were 1,908 graduates of the VOICES/VOCES program in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. Community Outreach Community outreach begins with one-on-one assessments of individuals within high-risk populations, and continues with referrals for HIV related services and HIV counseling and testing.
Participants in the SISTA and VOICES/VOCES programs are recruited through community outreach. During 2008, ICAN made 70,008 outreach contacts (not an unduplicated count), distributed 87,108 prevention aids (condoms, lubricants and dams), handed out 76,646 informational brochures, and made 80,551 referrals for HIV testing, group level interventions, substance abuse treatment and STD testing. HIV 411 HIV 411 is an Internet chat room intervention in which volunteers enter chat rooms where men who have sex with men meet to set up sexual encounters. While in the chat rooms, ICAN volunteers engage those seeking sex in a discussion about the risk of HIV, prevention methods and general HIV information. This program was started in 2006. Community Education HIV/AIDS training and information is provided to non-profits, businesses, schools, civic clubs and the general public.
ICAN provides monthly staff training for Lee Mental Health and Southwest Florida Addiction Services employees, staff training as needed for Lee Memorial Health Systems, Lee Association for Retarded Citizens and the Abuse Counseling and Treatment Center, HIV/AIDS training at the Pace Center for Girls, quarterly HIV awareness classes for residents at Ruth Cooper Center's Reeve's House, HIV/AIDS training for High Tech Center North's Allied Health Programs, Florida Academy of Massage, Heritage Institute and Charlotte Behavioral Services. For profit entities and out-of-county non-profits pay a fee for each class. HIV Counseling & Testing ICAN provides HIV testing Wednesday evening from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., CLICK HERE TO GET TESTED. Annual Seminars ICAN provides HIV/AIDS speakers for annual seminars on domestic violence, sexual violence and substance abuse held in Southwest Florida.
