The Mpowerment Project

The Mpowerment Project[1] is a model community building and HIV prevention program that has been designed specifically to address the needs of young adult gay/bisexual men ages 18 – 29. It is the first documented HIV prevention intervention for young gay/bisexual men to succeed in reducing sexual risk behavior.[2] The program has been developed, evaluated and continually refined by prominent behavioral scientists from the University of California, San Francisco's Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, the largest research center in the world dedicated to social, behavioral and policy science approaches to HIV.

In 1999, it was one of the first programs to be included in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Compendium of HIV Prevention Interventions with Evidence of Effectiveness.[3] It is the only program included that is designed specifically to address the HIV Prevention needs of young gay/bisexual men and other young men who have sex with men (MSM). The Mpowerment Project uses outreach, a drop-in center and community-building efforts to strengthen young gay men's self-esteem, positive relationships, and social support. </ref> The project addresses HIV testing, PrEP, condoms use and staying on one's medications if one is living with HIV. Additionally, the project addresses interpersonal and social factors that affect the lives of young gay/bisexual men.[4]

History

Eugene OR, logo 1993

The Mpowerment Project Team (L to R) D.Sweeney, S. Kegeles, G. Rebchook, B. Zovod, R. Williams, J. Hamiga, S.Tebbetts

Recognizing the critical need for HIV prevention programs for young gay/bisexual men, Dr. Susan Kegeles and Dr. Robert Hays (1955-2001), research psychologists at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) at the University of California, San Francisco, applied for funding to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to design, implement, and evaluate a community-level HIV prevention program for young gay/bisexual men. Their five-year grant was awarded in 1990.

They pilot tested the program in Santa Cruz, CA. Based on encouraging results there, they refined the program and implemented it in a second community (Eugene, OR), where it was named the Mpowerment Project. Following the program's success in Eugene, it was replicated in Santa Barbara, CA. In 1995 Drs. Kegeles and Hays received a second five-year grant form the NIMH to further develop the program for use in major metropolitan areas across the U.S. Dr. Greg Rebchook, a research psychologist who had worked at a department of public health and at a community-based organization, joined the team in 1996. This new grant enabled them to implement the Mpowerment Project in Albuquerque, NM – where the project was called MPower (1997–1998); and in Austin, TX – where the project was called Austin Men's Project / AMP (1999–2000).[5] Since 2002, numerous organizations have implemented the program with varying success.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

The Mpowerment Project is cost-effective compared with many other HIV prevention strategies. The cost per HIV infection prevented is far less than the lifetime medical costs of HIV disease.[14] In 2005 the RAND Corporation developed a mathematical model of the cost of a wide variety of HIV prevention interventions. The Mpowerment Project is listed as the most cost-effective intervention.[15]

Project Structure

The project is made of the Core Group, volunteers, and the Community Advisory Board (CAB).

The Core Group consists of 10-15 members who represent the demographics of that particular project's local gay and bisexual men's community. Volunteers are those who cannot devote as much time to the Core Group, but would still like to contribute. Volunteers are what help the program be as cost effective as it is.

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) is available for the Core Group and volunteers. Consisting of members of the LGBT community, the CAB provide relevant advice for the Core Group and volunteers of GBT young adults.[16]