The second incarnation of the Men’s Health and Wellness Conference will take place on Saturday, January 26, at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott North, 6650 North Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL and starts at 8:00 a.m.
The conference will tackle health issues particularly relevant to men who have sex with men (MSM), which constitute around 7.5% of adult men population in Florida. In order to address important male health issues that affect the MSM community, more than 13 experts, community leaders and professionals will make their contribution. Men who have sex with men are an identified risk population for health problems such as HIV/AIDS, depression, and suicidal intent.
The event will feature 3 plenary sessions as well as 3 workshop sessions where these topics will be addressed and discussed.
Tackling important topics on MSM health
The panels will be focused around the topic of HIV/AIDS in MSM, which is a major health issue still to this day. Statistics show that 71,6% of HIV+ people in Florida are males, and more than two-thirds got infected through male to male sexual contact. Health professionals, government offices and representatives of diverse organizations agree that these numbers indicate the urgent need to tackle this issue from a comprehensive, results-oriented perspective. Aside from HIV/AIDS, other topics relevant to male health like mental health, nutrition and access to healthcare will also be addressed.
Conference receives community support
In spite of the current social tension about sexual diversity and other minorities, the event received an overwhelmingly positive response from organizations, care centers and media. One of the main organizers of the Conference is Mark Reyes, Senior Director of Community Relations & Administration for the Urban League of Broward County.
Among the sponsors of the Conference, are the Florida Department of Health in Broward County, Walgreens and the Midway Specialty Care Center. LGBTQ organizations, gathered under the Our Fund foundation, raised $5,000 for the event.
