MEDIATING DISPUTES FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS & OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES
With Stephen M. Spano
November 15, Tuesday, 5:30-7:30pm PST | Online via Zoom
People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHIVA) are disproportionately affected by socioeconomic factors and trauma.
Despite a dedicated network of services, PLWHIVA, like others with chronic illnesses, face extreme barriers to care which affect their ability to achieve positive health outcomes in situations where the services they are seeking are of critical import.
PLWHIVA and other chronic illnesses are unable to show up with equal bargaining power in many instances. Alternative forms of dispute resolution, like mediation, can help to remove access barriers and resolve disputes with the goal of keeping them connected to our public system of care.
We will explore the practical aspects of showing up to support dispute resolution in the face of this power dynamic and discuss various issues of intersectionality and resources in the community
In Stephen's clinic, participants will:
- Attend HIV 101: Understanding the illness, treatment, trauma, and stigma.
- Gain an understanding of the theoretical vs. practical aspects of mediating disputes in this community.
- Learn about various services the community has available to them.
- Learn more about the AIDS Legal Referral Panel and its services.
TRAINER
Stephen M. Spano
Stephen Spano works as the HCAP Attorney at AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP). His sordid past includes houselessness, a music degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, and a career in the entertainment industry. While achieving his JD from Golden Gate University, Stephen externed for KQED, Judge Maria-Elena James in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California, Justice Carlos Moreno in the Supreme Court of California, and the AIDS Legal Referral Panel.
After becoming a licensed attorney in California, Stephen practiced privately in San Francisco and Los Angeles, representing children with disabilities, artists, small businesses, and tenants prior to joining ALRP as their HIV Consumer Advocacy Project (HCAP) Staff Attorney. Stephen obtained his Basic Mediator certification through Community Boards and, subsequently, his Advanced Mediation training through their Beyond the Basics training.
Stephen has mediated hundreds of disputes and advocated for People Living with HIV/AIDS in a variety of public and private forums. He has been living with HIV since 2012 and practicing law since 2013. Learn more about AIDS Legal Referral Panel.