Photo courtesy of the Gay Men’s Health Summit registration page. 

The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services will host the Second Annual Long Beach Gay Men’s Health Summit this Saturday, in partnership with the Men’s Health Foundation, the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach and The California Prevention Training Center, the city announced today.

The free health summit will take place from 8:30AM to 4:30PM at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown (500 East First Street), with free parking available to the first 100 participants. To register, click here. 

“Our Health Department does a great job in hosting these important events and collaborating with our local agencies to support the health of the entire community,” said Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement.

Event highlights include food, raffle prizes, breakout sessions for breakfast and lunch and plenaries including stigma, spirituality, nutrition, body image, partner violence, substance use and healthy relationships.

According to a release issued by the city, the health forum aims to curb the spread of HIV through a discussion of high-impact, evidence-based HIV-prevention strategies like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and antiretroviral treatment for HIV-positive people to prevent new HIV infections.

“Long Beach is impacted by HIV and AIDS, and continues to have some of the highest rates of people living with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles County,” said City Health Officer Dr. Mitchell Kushner in a statement. “The majority of new HIV infections both in the United States and locally are among men who have sex with men. Young men of color are at a significantly elevated risk. We are also impacted by increasing cases of sexually transmitted infections, such as syphilis and gonorrhea.”