Posted on November 03, 2014
Hey there! I'm Demetrius, a peer member of Generation Tomorrow's third cohort. I moved to Baltimore from Washington, DC recently. The sex workers and intravenous drug users of DC taught me that easy access to HIV/Hepatitis C (HCV) rapid testing is important for both the community's and city's health. Generation Tomorrow is an amazing opportunity to support my new home by providing rapid testing services and by building relationships in Charm City. My year will be spent in the Johns Hopkins Emergency Department where I will work on their HCV testing program and on the Special Projects and Outreach Team for large events, such as Testing for Turkeys.
Community events like Testing for Turkeys are important for improving the relationship between Johns Hopkins and Baltimore outside the institution walls. I and my cohort will learn from Baltimoreans outside the healthcare system to achieve this goal.
Two weeks ago, I volunteered with Project Re_ at Baltimore Black Pride to offer HIV testing and counseling at the event. While volunteering, I met a ton of amazing people. Last week, we also hosted the Bridging the Gap Symposium, a pre-conference event for the National Harm Reduction Conference, where I was able to build on relationships formed at Baltimore Black Pride. The quickness of these connections makes me hopeful that I'll build many relationships during my time here.
Cohort 3 of Generation Tomorrow ends in May 2015 and if my life is filled with friends, professional relationships, and strong ties to the Baltimore community by then, this will have been a successful year.
