Coming together to build
In the Fall of 2021, a number of Black gay-identified men who lead social service organizations in Chicago came together in response to a call of action from ViiV Healthcare to collaborate on initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities among Black gay, bisexual and same gender loving (SGL) men in Chicago. The result was the development of the Mind, Body and Soul Health and Wellness Circle.
The intention of this collaborative initiative is to build and expand holistic communities of support and resources for Black gay, bisexual and same-gender men. At the core of the Mind, Body and Soul Health and Wellness Circle are six Chicago-area organizations lead by Black, queer-identified men - the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus, Alliance Care 360, Project Vida, Task Force Prevention and Community Services, Faith United Methodist Church-Dolton and Pride in the Pews. UBtheCure, LLC, lead by Dr. Ulysses Burley, also recently joined the Circle as our first ally-led organization.
As a whole, we support community-wide efforts to engage/re-engage and maintain Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) into a range of health-related services. Our respective organizations serve as access points for the Health and Wellness Circle. Supported by a team of Wellness Coaches with a wide range of expertise including personal training, mental health, health navigation/referral, faith/spirituality, each organization offers centrally coordinated wellness programming including but not limited to group exercise and yoga, nutrition/cooking classes, massage therapy, spiritual wellness workshops/retreats and one-on-one mental health counseling.
Participants also have access to other services offered by each of the partner organizations including mental health, HIV/STI screening, transportation, and linkage to culturally sensitive medical providers. Participants will sign up for services and be able to track progress towards their health and wellness goals (including weight, blood pressure and other lab data such as viral load and t-cell count for PLWHA) via the Wellness Portal and Dashboard which will exist in the form of a mobile app and traditional website. The overall goal of the Health and Wellness Circle is to promote adherence to participants’ wellness plan and self-identified health goals (developed in collaboration with Wellness Coaches), including compliance with medical appointments and any prescribed medications (e.g., antiretrovirals for treatment, PrEP, blood pressure medications, statins, etc.), In addition, the Health and Wellness Circle will host multiple events throughout the year designed to provide participants with the opportunity to network/socialize with other Black GBMSM and health/wellness allies, as well as engage in “friendly competition” with one another. Such events include an annual House Music themed run/walk/bike event, vogue competitions, and dance-offs.
