Fast Track Bulletin - May 2024
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
At the beginning of April, Sarah Maslen accepted the promotion from the Swansea Bay and West Wales role to the new Fast Track Cymru Manager position. We are extremely grateful to Lisa Power for all the work, passion, and dedication up until this point and delighted that she has agreed to stay on as our Strategy and Policy Lead Volunteer.
Sarah has a message for you: “I’m looking forward to working with you and cementing our connections in the upcoming months.” Jason Davies (he/him) has since started as the new Development Worker for Swansea Bay and West Wales and has already proven to be a real asset to our team.
We have four of the seven health boards now officially signed as Fast Track coalitions, and work is progressing quickly in the remaining three, with the aim of every health board across Wales being signed up by April 2025.
HIV Outcomes Event
At the end of April, we partnered with HIV Outcomes and the National AIDS Trust to deliver a workshop exploring the Living Well aspects of the HIV Action Plan in Wales. The results will create a paper with evidence of best practice in Wales as well as recommendations for improvement. This event was well attended with representatives from across Wales. Special thanks to Adam W. and James C. for your help with this event!
#StopHIVStigma Cymru Campaign
This week we launched our #StopHIVStigma campaign. Thanks to Dr Alessandro Ceccarelli for his commitment to this project. Please amplify the campaign across your channels. The toolkit can be found here, and additional resources here.
BHIVA Spring Conference 2024
It was inspiring to see so much Welsh representation at the BHIVA 2024 Spring Conference in Birmingham, both among delegates and on stage. The event emphasized the importance of peer support, and it was great to network with other Fast Track Cities. We also presented data from the Wales HIV Testing Week campaign, run in partnership with Public Health Wales.
HIV Knowledge Survey
The Gilead HIV Knowledge Survey results were released at BHIVA. We’re thrilled that 33% of respondents were from Wales, but the results highlight the ongoing need to educate healthcare workers that HIV has changed and to reduce stigma.
Prides 2024
Pride season is upon us! We will be attending over 20 Prides across Wales. Come see us, pick up resources, and meet some of the team.
Get Involved
Engaging with Fast Track Cymru can be simple and impactful. Amplify our campaigns, connect with your local Fast Track, or join our network of people living with HIV for collaborative online meetings. Participation is flexible, empowering, and open to diverse perspectives, including underrepresented communities.
HIV and Inequalities in Wales – Contact
To get in touch with us:
Fast Track Cymru: FastTrackCities@hiv.wales
Fast Track Cardiff & Vale: FastTrackCardiffVale@hiv.wales
Fast Track Newport: FastTrackNewport@hiv.wales
Fast Track Swansea Bay: FastTrackSwansea@hiv.wales
Fast Track North Wales: FastTrackNorthWales@hiv.wales
Thank you for your ongoing support,
Sarah Maslen and the Fast Track Cymru Team