COMMUNITY EDUCATION GROUP RECEIVES 100K GRANT FOR

Charleston, W. Va, Oct. 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CHARLESTON, W. Va. (October 31, 2022) – The Community Education Group (CEG) received a $50,000 grant from Gilead Sciences and a $50,000 grant from ViiV Healthcare to meet the Monkeypox care needs of gay, bisexual, transgender, and non-binary individuals across 13 states in rural Appalachia. The funding allows CEG to increase the capacity of rural Appalachian community-based organizations to address this public health emergency. CEG will develop and distribute educational materials, offer several grants via CEG’s Appalachian Partnership Fund, and host stakeholder convenings to reduce cultural preconceptions, stigmas, and barriers to care impacted by worldviews rooted in heteronormativity. CEG plans to provide healthcare resources in the following states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

 “The rapid-speed philanthropic investment from Gilead and ViiV allows CEG to immediately reach the most vulnerable people in rural Appalachia through community-based, rural-focused organizations,” said CEG Executive Director A. Toni Young. “With COVID, HIV, Hep-C and, now, Monkeypox, our LBTBQIA+ communities and their health providers in Appalachia need our support now more than ever.”

 Gilead Science and ViiV funding to CEG will be used for promoting access to healthcare for LGBTQIA+ people living in rural communities, including developing and distributing educational information, offering grants to rural healthcare and community groups, and hosting monthly virtual meetings and events. In addition, CEG will develop and provide culturally competent, inclusive, and framed resources concerning the sexual gender and identity of gay, bisexual, nonbinary, and transgender people seeking care from rural healthcare practitioners.  

 As part of the effort, CEG will create and distribute…