By Matt Simonette

Staff Writer

The Chicago Crystal Meth Task Force met last week to discuss possible strategies for Project CRYSP, a meth research initiative, as well as possibly expanding the scope of its mission.

In the meeting, held Sept. 19 at the offices of the Chicago Health Department, 333 S. State St., participants discussed recommendations for the Project Crystal Prevention (CRYSP) project, a five-year contract awarded by Chicago Department of Public Health to address the interaction of meth use, HIV infection and mental health issues in gay men on the North Side.

Agency partners in CRYSP include AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Center on Halsted, Howard Brown Health Center and Test Positive Aware Network.

The initiative is ending its development year, according to Jim Pickett, director of public policy for AFC, and is now looking on identifying community intervention strategies. CCMTF acts as an advisory board to CRYSP.

Simone Koehlinger of CDPH led an exercise wherein participants identified community assets that can be used to develop or implement CRYSP interventions. These included social marketing entities, such as ad agencies, media or bars; provider training; the Internet; and community mobilization resources such as religious institutions, gyms or support groups.

Later in the meeting, Koehlinger also said some CCMTF members have discussed whether its mission is too narrow, and should be focused on a message of wellness rather than the hazards of one drug.

Jim Pickett, public policy director for AFC, said, “Hard data from research (has shown) that gay men see the words ‘crystal meth’ and they turn away, just like they’ve done with with ‘HIV’ or ‘AIDS.’ You talk about crystal meth and you’re going to turn them off. And clearly our needs are greater than crystal meth.”

He added, “Rarely is your first drug out of the box crystal meth …A lot of drama has happened with people who have had only alcohol in their lives.”

Braden Berkey of Center on Halsted said, “If we don’t really look at the whole picture with people—if we don’t look at depression and people’s identity formations—we’re missing the entire boat. Just hammering and hammering on this one drug, we’re not creating healthy people.”

Berkey suggested the task force’s scope be broadened, and that they put crystal in the overall context of health.

Pickett suggested that the matter be brought up again at next’s month’s meeting, scheduled for Oct. 17.

Pickett also updated the Task Force on ads for Prometa in some gay publications. The ads implied that Prometa could cure meth addiction. He said the task force tried to get the word out that the research on the drug was still not conclusive. “It wasn’t a pro or con on Prometa. It was that there wasn’t data yet to suggest that we can be pro or con,” Pickett said.

Author Terry Oldes, author of the memoir “Dancing with Tina,” also read an excerpt from his book during the meeting.