National Latinx Conference on HIV, HCV & SUD

CHLP's Kytara Epps, Public Health and Advocacy Strategist, and Jacundo Ramos, Public Health Consultant, will present at NaLa 2025 in Las Vegas. The National Latinx Conference on HIV, HCV & SUD promotes innovative concepts, best practices, and new information on how healthcare and social service providers can better serve Latino/Latinx/Latine communities. 
 

HIV Criminalization: A threat to public health
May 1, 10:15am PT

More than 30 states have HIV criminalization laws that target people living with HIV (PLHIV) and subject them to prosecution for conduct that is either legal or less severely punished for individuals who have not been diagnosed with HIV. 

This panel will examine the landscape of HIV criminal laws and explain how these laws undermine public health efforts to end the HIV epidemic. We will highlight how this legal framework contributes to a climate of fear and discrimination, exacerbating the stigma faced by PLHIV, which in turn disincentivizes individuals from seeking testing, treatment, and support services. An introductory presentation will explain HIV criminalization, including its origins, scope, common features, and disparate impact on marginalized communities. We will then discuss how stigma is compounded by intersectional issues faced by Latinx/Latine communities. There will be a discussion of how providers, case managers, and other groups can disrupt criminalization in their work.

Speakers
Jacundo Ramos, Public Health Consultant, CHLP
Kytara Epps, Public Health and Advocacy Strategist, CHLP