Connect To Protect
Protecting the health of young people has always come naturally to those closest to them. Community leaders, local organizations and service providers, social and faith-based institutions, families and even youth themselves all have a wealth of knowledge and experience in caring for these age groups. Similarly, medical researchers and other health professionals have devoted many years of hard work and resources to identify the most promising ways to prevent adolescent and young adult illness and disease.

Independently, communities and researchers have made important contributions to protecting young people’s health. Imagine the possibilities if we combined the valuable insight and skills of both researchers and the community. Through meaningful collaboration, our partnership can answer critical questions that will help us to create and enact better solutions to the health problems our youth face.

C2P
The researchers involved in C2P are from the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network (ATN) for HIV/AIDS Interventions, the only nationwide group devoted to looking at how youth and their communities are affected by this epidemic. Made up of 15 city sites throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, the ATN strives toward:

• Caring for children, teenagers, and young adults with HIV;

• Searching for ways to keep HIV from spreading among young people; and

• Making sure that adolescents and young adults are represented in research ranging from HIV prevention to treatment and care.

In each city, the C2P team will draw from federal, state and local resources to identify at-risk youth and at the same time create a profile of the community resources that are available to them. By comparing disease and risk rates with service availability, neighborhood strengths and neighborhood needs will be revealed, allowing researchers and community partners to zero in on the prevention strategies that are most needed to protect the health of their city’s youth.

Prevention Interventions
Connect to Protect’s collaborative effort will lead to the development of community-specific programs to reduce the spread of HIV among young people. Prevention plans can include, but are not limited to:

• Social Marketing Campaigns
• Peer Outreach
• Social Events
• Workshops
• Community Capacity Building

Why Should Your Organization or Institution “Connect to Protect”?
By partnering with Connect to Protect your organization will receive:
• Increased local and nationwide awareness of your efforts, with a comprehensive print and online resource directory that will include your organization;
• Technical assistance on fund raising, grant writing, and evaluation;
• Culturally-responsive and scientifically sound HIV prevention strategies that together we will implement and evaluate
• User-friendly and up-to-date research and epidemiological data that will be given to you for use in grant proposals;
• Use of special "connection" services that can assist your organization in finding volunteers and guest speakers;
• A supply of compelling fact sheets to offer your community; and
• The opportunity to engage in a national dialogue on HIV prevention, including community-based approaches. Send us an email to hear about Connect to Protect efforts in your neighborhood.

ATN Sites:
California
LOS ANGELES
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Veronica Montenegro  323-669-2390
montenegro@chla.usc.edu

SAN DIEGO
University of California at San Diego
Stephanie Lehman  619-543-7533
alehman@ucsd.edu

SAN FRANCISCO
University of California at San Francisco
Catherine Geanuracos  415-476-9622
lindy@itsa.ucsf.edu

District of Columbia
WASHINGTON
Children's National Medical Center
William Barnes  202-884-5789
wbarnes@cnmc.org

Florida
FT. LAUDERDALE
Children's Diagnostic & Treatment Center
Margarita Gurri  954-712-5004
mgurri@nbhd.org

Jessica Roy  954-728-1110
jroy@nbhd.org

Esmine Leonard, BSN, RN  954-728-1080
POWER, Research Nurse
eleonard@nbhd.org

MIAMI
University of Miami
Larry Friedman, MD
305-243-2175

TAMPA
University of South Florida
Georgette King  813-259-8800
gking@hsc.usf.edu

Illinois
CHICAGO
Cook County Bureau of Health Services,
John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital and the CORE Center
Draco Forte  312-961-8709
dracoforte@aol.com

Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS
Tulane University Health Services Center
Sybil Schroeder  504-585-6488
sybilsc@tulane.edu

Maryland
BALTIMORE
University of Maryland
Bethany Griffin-Deeds  410-706-1936
bgriffin@peds.maryland.edu

Kalima Young  410-706-1928
kyoung@peds.maryland.edu

Massachussettes
BOSTON
Children's Hospital
Meqdes Mesfin 617-355-4505
Meqdes.Mesfin@tch.harvard.edu

New York
BRONX
Adolescent AIDS Program,
Children's Hospital at Montefiore
Donna Futterman, MD
dfutterman@adolescentAIDS.org

Lissette Marrero
lmarrero@adolescentAIDS.org


MANHATTAN
Mt. Sinai Medical Center
Kelly Sykes  212-423-2923
kelly.sykes@msnyhealth.org

Chris Moore  212-423-9829
christopher.moore@msnyuhealth.org

Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Antonio Cardoso  215-590-0682
cardoso@email.chop.edu

Marne Castillo  267-426-5109
castillo@email.chop.edu

Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN
University of Puerto Rico
Ibrahim Pomales  787-759-9595
ibramos@rcm.upr.edu

Carmen Torres  787-759-9595
carrivera@rcm.upr.edu