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MEDIA ALERT
Councilmember Robert Jackson, Convent Avenue Baptist Church and Gay Men's Health Crisis to Sponsor
HIV Testing Day in Harlem
February 4, 2009, New York, NY — In commemoration of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Councilmember Robert Jackson, Convent Avenue Baptist Church and Gay Men's Health Crisis will sponsor an HIV Testing Day on Saturday, February 7 in Harlem where a substantial amount of residents are African American and Hispanic. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, approximately 1 in 70 New Yorkers is infected with HIV, but the proportion of people in different groups who are infected varies widely — 1 in 40 African Americans and 1 in 5 black men age 40-49 in Manhattan are infected with HIV. The epidemic is increasingly affecting women, who now constitute a third of new AIDS cases — up from 1 in 10 at the start of the epidemic. More than 80% of new AIDS diagnoses and deaths are among African Americans and Hispanics. Black men in New York City are 6 times more likely to die of AIDS than white men; black women are 9 times more likely to die of AIDS than white women.
New York City remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. More than 100,000 New Yorkers are living with HIV, but thousands don't know they're infected. New York City has the highest AIDS case rate in the country, with more AIDS cases than Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Washington DC combined. HIV is also the health problem with the largest racial disparity; 80% of new AIDS diagnoses and deaths are among African Americans and Hispanics.
Event Information
Date: Saturday, February 7 — National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Time: 12 pm to 4 pm
Photo and interview opportunities with Councilmember Jackson, Marjorie Hill, Ph.D. (CEO of GMHC) and the Convent Avenue Baptist Church Ministry will be at 2 pm
Place: Convent Avenue Baptist Church
420 West 145th Street (at Convent Avenue)
GMHC's mobile testing van will be parked in front of the church.
Subways: 1/9 train to West 145th Street
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Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide prevention and care services to more than 15,000 men, women and families that are living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in New York City, and advocate for scientific, evidence-based public health solutions for hundreds of thousands worldwide.
Our Mission: GMHC fights to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected.
© 2008 Gay Men's Health Crisis |
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