Meet Our Staff: Bryan Heitz

Today is the third installment of "Meet Our Staff," as we're excited to introduce you to CCC's first-ever Risk Reduction Specialist, Bryan!

 

Name: BRYAN HEITZ

What do you do at CCC? 

Currently, I am the HIV Risk Reduction Specialist at CCC. My program is Health Education and Risk Reduction (HE/RR) with a focus on educating people living with HIV (PLWH) in a myriad of areas (dealing with HIV related stigma, drug adherence, risk reduction, transmission, etc.). I work primarily with PLWH who are newly diagnosed, long-term survivors, and those returning to care. I am also responsible for critical, inclusive HIV education within the agency and in the community as a whole.

How long have you been at CCC?

I am three months away from my 1st anniversary at CCC. 

Where are you from originally?

I was born in a small mid-west town named Wabash, IN (most notably for the Wabash Cannonball, being the first electrically lighted city, and the hometown of Crystal Gayle). I grew up with a hippie, nomad mother who moved to and from California often, so I grew up in Mojave, CA and Wabash, IN.

 

What is your favorite vacation spot?

 

I love to travel and am looking forward to embarking on future international travels. In the U.S., my favorite place (vacation or not) is New Orleans. My heart lives in NOLA, and my soul dances to the blues and jazz of that region. I hear the city calling now...

What is your favorite food? 

I have been vegetarian/vegan for almost 25 years. However, this does not mean that I live on salads and tofu alone. My favorite foods come from my two favorite cuisines: Thai and Mediterranean.

Who is someone you look up to or admire and why?

 

The pianist/vocalist/artist/warrior, Diamanda Galas, is someone I truly admire. She has immersed herself in the HIV/AIDS community from the time of the "Plague," through losing family and friends to AIDS, and still fights for PLWH today. She has risen from personal adversity and struggles to become a warrior for us living with HIV and any other marginalized and oppressed group. She exemplifies everything I find admirable, and I am lucky to call her my heroine and dear friend!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

 

Art, film, and music account for most of my spare time. I spend a lot of my spare time in a space of creativity... writing, photography, and mixed-media art. I also enjoy communing with nature by hiking and exploring the beauty around Las Vegas and Nevada.

What is your favorite place in Las Vegas?

Most of my favorite places are outside of Vegas proper. I try to spend as much time as I can exploring and hiking among Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, and Mt. Charleston. Nevada is full of unique and fascinating day trip destinations to ghost towns, natural springs, etc. that it is a shame to stay in the city when weather permits being outside. In the city, the Wetlands is one of my favorite nature spots to go... It is an unexpected and vibrant getaway from the urban jungle.

 

If you could have any animal as a pet, what would you choose and why?

I have had (or my family has had) plenty of usual and unusual animals throughout my life: skunks, raccoons, fox, scorpions, tarantulas, chinchilla, turtles, rabbits, Burmese Python, spider monkey, dogs and cats (my favorites). If I could have any other animal for a pet, it would be a desert tortoise or a pink flamingo. A desert tortoise because they are almost mythical to me (I've yet to find one in the desert); a pink flamingo because... well, it's a pink flamingo and an ode to John Waters!

 

What would you choose as a career if you were not in this field?

I am committed to critical, inclusive community education related to social justice and equality. However, if I were not in this field, I would definitely be in a more creative arena. I have, in the past, flirted with Interior Design & Costume Design and could see either of those as careers. In dreams, I write screenplays and direct documentaries and art house films... maybe one day dreams will be reality.

What is your favorite thing about working at CCC?

My favorite thing about working at CCC is my ability to make a difference in someone's life and their continued survival with HIV. My goal as a facilitator of education is to empower individuals in order for them to be better consumers of information, to elicit an internal change, and to educate those around them by disseminating critical and accurate information in hopes of neutralizing and de-stigmatizing HIV as an illness.

What words of wisdom do you have to share?

 

One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite thinkers:

 

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Friedrich Nietzsche