TONIGHT!
MONKEYPOX TOWN HALL MEETING TUESDAY AUGUST 9, 2022 (disregard Sept. 6th date on the Meeting Registration)
*IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT THE STATE SENATE HEARING TODAY @ 1:30 BELOW!
LAST MINUTE HEARING ON MPX IN THE STATE SENATE TODAY!
Please share this last minute notice on an important hearing on emergency funding for the state's monkeypox response:
To view the Senate’s Select Committee hearing on Monkeypox today at 1:30pm, please select the following link: View hearing- https://www.senate.ca.gov/monk...
Public Comment: To provide comment during the hearing, members of the public can call in at 877-226-8163, access code 7362833. Public comment will occur after all panelists testify. Public comment toward the end, at roughly 3:40pm. There is a budget appropriation request for $38M in emergency funding for counties to help deal with the crisis, public comment in support of that would be impactful. It wouldn't hurt to mention why the state should reexamine its vaccine allocation formula with special consideration for places like Palm Springs, that experience a lot of sex tourism and may be potentially vulnerable to outbreaks (yet may not accurately record numbers that reflect that risk by current metrics).
Public comment can be brief and to the point- especially given the late notice. We're trying to get out as many folks as possible to make sure lawmakers understand how seriously this is affecting our communities and how desperately we need more resources in order to get a handle on this emergency.
More info on the hearing, talking points, etc: https://docs.google.com/docume...
A town hall meeting on monkeypox in the Coachella Valley Tuesday, August 9th @ 6pm on Zoom
As part of our Positive Life Series HARP-PS is convening a public town hall meeting with county & state public health officials and our local providers to inform the community about monkeypox in the Coachella Valley. This will be a bi-weekly meeting so stay tuned for future invitations.
Since the outbreak, 59 confirmed cases of Monkeypox have been identified in Riverside County, all of which are centered in the Coachella Valley. This number is growing on a daily basis.
Here is the zoom link to join the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meetin...
Much like the early days of COVID, this is an emerging situation, and we are doing our best to educate our community in real time to help keep ourselves and our community safe. In the meantime, below are some vetted resources you might find helpful. As get more information, we'll be sure to share that via HARP's website and social media.
Hope to see you tonight--and invite your friends.
Public-Facing Resources for LGBTQ+ communities:
Riverside County Public Health Monkeypox webpage
Harm-reduction messaging on how to lower chances of getting monkeypox during Pride events (CDC)
Building Healthy Online Communities Resources, including Health Alerts in English and Spanish
Monkeypox: Get the Facts Flyer (CDC)
Social Gatherings, Safer Sex, and Monkeypox Fact Sheet (CDC)
Summer 2022 Health Tips for Gay and Bi Men: Palm Card with QR Code linking to information on monkeypox, meningococcal disease, HIV, STIs, and COVID (CDC) What Gay & Bisexual Men Need to Know About Monkeypox in English and Spanish (CDPH, Gay Sexuality and Social Policy Initiative, and Los Angeles LGBT Center)
https://i-base.info/monkeypox/