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M.I.S.T.E.R. (Men’s Information Services: Testing * Empowerment * Resources), a program of Positive Impact, Inc., is funded by multiple Federal, State and Foundation grants as well as community and private donations to provide a comprehensive range of services to meet the vast and unique needs of the gay and bisexual male community of metropolitan Atlanta. These funding sources include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), the Fulton County Human Services Grants, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and ViiV Healthcare, as well as private donations and fundraising events with generous support from private citizens as well as the Armorette's and the Sisters of the Flaming Sugarbaker. Additionally, the MISTER Community Center, a drop-in community center for gay and bisexual men, provides volunteer opportunities on a regular basis. For more information on volunteering at MISTER, please click here or subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates on events, workshops and opportunities to help.
Under the MISTER Project, there are three major programmatic areas:
TESTING
HIV Testing: The HIV Testing Center at MISTER offers free confidential rapid HIV testing on a walk-in basis (no appointment needed!) Monday through Thursday 10 AM to 7 PM, Friday 10 AM to 5 PM, and Saturday 10 AM to 2 PM. The Testing Center utilizes the OraQuick rapid HIV testing protocol, which means once the oral swab is collected (no needles or blood), you get your results in approximately 20 minutes! If the test result on the oral swab is preliminarily reactive (positive), this DOES NOT MEAN with certainty you have HIV—an additional oral specimen must be obtained and sent to the State Laboratory for confirmatory (Western blot) testing. Confirmatory results take approximately 3 to 5 business days depending on the time it takes the Lab to process the sample.
While the Testing Center does not offer medical treatment for HIV, linkages to medical care are made to medical providers and, for those clients who qualify for Ryan White care based on meeting residency and income eligibility requirements, all the necessary paperwork is completed for you and an appointment is scheduled for you to meet with a medical provider on your behalf. You will receive professional and caring support throughout the entire process by our trained HIV Pre/Post Test Counselors regardless of the outcome of your HIV test.
STD Screening: The Men’s STD Clinic at MISTER offers free screenings for sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhea and Chlamydia, on a walk-in basis Monday through Thursday 10 AM to 7 PM, Friday 10 AM to 5 PM, and Saturday 10 AM to 2 PM. A urine specimen is required for gonorrhea and Chlamydia screening. Results are typically available within 7 to 10 days.
SPECIAL NOTE: We are currently NOT conducting screenings for syphilis. These screenings might resume in the fall, but for the next several months we will only be conducting screenings for gonorrhea and Chlamydia.
MISTER offers medical treatment for positive results for those clients who qualify for free treatment based on meeting insurance and income eligibility requirements; anyone not qualifying for free treatment but receive a positive STD test result at MISTER will be linked to one of our referral partners for medical treatment to get you with the best healthcare provider for you and your circumstances based on insurance and income. At this time, STD screenings are only available to men due to limited funding and resources, and women are encouraged to obtain STD screenings at their annual OB/GYN exams. Additional referral options for STD screening are available for women at the clinic.
EMPOWERMENT
MISTER offers a wide variety of services to members of the gay, bisexual, and non gay identified men who have sex with men (MSM) communities.
We are dedicated to helping the Atlanta MSM population arm themselves against the threat of HIV and STD transmission. We care about the safety of your health and want to provide the tools necessary for the community to care for itself.
Our sex coaching and sexual health service is an individual-based, one-on-one program that helps participants identify areas of their life where they may be putting themselves at risk for infection, gain a better understanding of health issues specific to men, and increase sexual health and sexual fun. In addition, the sessions provide skills necessary to live life to the fullest such as the promotion of healthy living (whether that’s exercise, yoga, diet, meditation, spirituality and so on), increased skills around goal-setting and problem-solving, and increased community skills.
d-UP! is a program focusing on the African American community that builds well-informed role models through informative workshops in just four weeks. Participants can expect to emerge with a strong knowledge of how HIV/STDs are transmitted and ways to reduce those risks, and then how to go back into their communities and empower their friends and associates with the same information.
PROMISE involves the community through individual interviews to gather information about the community’s awareness around HIV transmission and how they may be at risk. Peer Advocates (volunteers) then reach out to the community to share the experience, strength and hope of their own peers who are making changes in behavior that put them at risk for getting HIV. If you are interested in being a peer advocate, contact the Community Outreach Coordinator, Chandler Bearden.
RESOURCES
The MISTER Community Center is a safe place where individuals can visit for information on everything from HIV and STD services to safer sex information and free condoms and lubricants. It is also a one-stop shop to find gay-friendly restaurants and businesses, local gay bars and clubs, and information about social groups (leather clubs, cotillion, book clubs), sports teams (Bucks, NFFLA, Rainbow Trout) and other groups (Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Atlanta SM Solidarity, Wilderness Network of Georgia) and more. The MISTER Program attempts to fill some community service gaps by providing gay and bisexual men in the metropolitan Atlanta area with a wealth of information. Our motto is: “Anything a gay man wants to find in Atlanta, he can find at MISTER.” If we don’t have the information or know the answer when you contact us, we will work to find it for you!
The MISTER Community Center drop-in hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 AM to 7 PM, Friday 10 AM to 5 PM and Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Stay up to date with MISTER via Facebook at www.facebook.com/MISTERcenter or on the MISTER website at www.MISTERCenter.org.
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