POZ I AM Radio

David Bromstad, host of HGTV’s Color Splash and winner of the first season of HGTV’s Design Star, is teaming up with Janssen Therapeutics to raise awareness of the importance of HIV testing, particularly among gay men, for the Know Yourself: Get HIV Tested initiative. As part of this initiative, David, an accomplished artist and muralist and one of the most celebrated interior design personalities on television today, will be designing and painting a mural that will bring to life the importance of HIV testing and inspire people to take action. David will be hosting an exclusive soiree in September to unveil the mural in conjunction with Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. 

When David Bromstad was crowned the original HGTV Design Star in 2006, he was an accomplished artist and muralist and had spent years designing dream bedrooms for children across the Southeast US.

Today he is one of the most celebrated interior design personalities on television and the star of his very own design show, Color Splash, on HGTV.  In 2011, he returned to HGTV Design Star as a mentor to the current crop of contestants.  He is the first ever HGTV personality to be named to the OUT Magazine 100 list  In 2011, he was given the prestigious HRC Visibility Award for living an out and proud lifestyle in the public eye.

You can visit David online at www.bromstad.com and follow him on Twitter (@bromco)!

Michelle Anderson was just crowned 2011 Ms. Plus America. Michelle is an African-American woman who has been living for HIV since 1999. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas and is very active in her community as Co-Chair of Campaign to End AIDS Texas , The Afiya Center Peer Educator , Public Speaker , as well as a board member for AIDS Services of Dallas, and ADAP Advocacy Association where she is the Treasurer. Michelle has dedicated much of her personal life to educating others on HIV/AIDS throughout the greater Dallas area and beyond. She plans to finish her degree in Social Work where she will be able to continue to spread the message, and educate people regarding HIV/AIDS. Michelle is has stepped out of the box and is currently Ms. Duncanville Plus America 2010 and 2011. She plans to use her title to become the voice of positive women of color. Michelle has experience as a group facilitator and has attended many conferences where she received training in Advocacy, Project LEAP (Learning, Empowerment, Advocacy, Participation), and Common Threads

Are you newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS ? Do you have questions about living with HIV? This week Robert Breining  and Jeromy Dunn will be focusing on taking your questions through out the entinre show. Call in with your questions or advice fo those who are newly diagnosed. Call in # 347-215-9442

Robert & Jeromy will be discussing the current ADAP Crisis in America including updates on current waiting lists numbers. They will also be sharing whays you can get involved to help end the ADAP Waiting lists. Call in and share your feeling ont he subject at 347-215-9442 or tweet us @poziam

Nelson Vergel is a 25+ year long term HIV survivor. Aided by his chemical engineering degree and obsession for scientific data, he adds his own personal experience as he demystifies many health myths. For the last 20 years, his trial-and-error experience to improve his quality of life has paved the way for others to learn from his knowledge. 

Nelson Vergel is a chemical engineer who has become a leading advocate for sports nutrition, supplementation and the promotion of wellness in the HIV-positive community since his positive diagnosis in 1986. He is also the author of "Testosterone: A Man's Guide" and co-author of the book "Built to Survive"; the founder of the nonprofit organizations Body Positive Wellness Clinic and Program for Wellness Restoration 

Learn more at www.nelsonvergel.com

This hour Jeromy Dunn and Scott Kramer will be taking your calls and covering a range of Hot Topics.

Maria  a 37-year-old Colombian female who lives in Miami, Florida. She has been positive for 20 years. Although almost all her life she has been in long-term relationships with HIV-negative men, She is now happily married to a woman who is wonderful and caring. They have been together almost three years and her partner is HIV negative.  She is an activist, a peer educator, and a caregiver.She has volunteered for the Red Cross in education for the Hispanic HIV community and also the American community..She has spoken at many conferences and done a lot of outreach in the community It is part of her everyday life to educate everyone she can on this subject. 

  "Being HIV positive is nothing to be ashamed about! We are strong women, and we will take away all the stigmas slowly but shortly"  -Maria

The son of a Southern Baptist Pastor, Rev. Dr. Harvey Carr has been involved with work in the religious community most of his life 

Dr. Carr was ordained in 1968, at the age of 19 upon graduation from a small conservative Southern Baptist College in Mississippi. In August 2009, he was granted a Doctor of Humanities by Canterbury for his 24 years of work in service to people infected with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS

Having worked with the first Buddy Program in Memphis, Tennessee in 1984, Harvey has been actively involved in the fight since GRID was first diagnosed in the US, working with programs in Memphis, Chicago, and Baltimore prior to moving to Florida. It was while living in Baltimore that he was rushed into exploratory surgery for an undiagnosed ruptured appendix after being told there was a 60/40 chance he would not survive surgery. Blood work prior to surgery showed him to be HIV-.

Harvey was been tested every 6 months for many years, always testing negative. At the time of his surgery he had been celibate for several months 6 months after surgery he was placed in a drug-induced coma for PCP, only being told he was then HIV+ and had full-blown AIDS. He had still remained celibate and doctors began an intensive study of his case, concluding he had somehow been infected with blood transfusions administered during and following surgery.  

2 years later the director of the local Red Cross was fired for not properly screening blood donations.  Since his diagnosis he has fought a number of crises but refuses to allow AIDS to control his life. He credits his Mom with teaching him to accept whatever comes into his life and make that occurrence work with him in trying to make the world a better place for all humanity.

This Sunday Robert Breining will be taking calls and touch on some hot topics . Call in with your questions at 347-215-9442

Vickie Lynn is a 26 year HIV survivor. She was infected in October of 1985 by her then fiancé. She was diagnosed with AIDS in 1991 and is blessed to have survived the worst times of this pandemic.

She has served on the Ryan White Care Council; she helped establish the Sisters in Spirit, a support group for women living with HIV in her community, and has served as a volunteer for various HIV/AIDS Service Organizations and community agencies.

She currently works at the University Of South Florida (USF) on a research grant that examines behavioral health interventions for women living with HIV. She earned both her Master’s in Social Work and Master’s in Public Health at USF.

Vickie also serves on the HIV/AIDS Consumer Advisor Group for the State of Florida. She has contributed to online blogs, educations sites, and is passionate about working on issues related to HIV/AIDS prevention, human rights and access to health care.