GMHC Marks 30th Year of AIDS; Honors Larry Mass, MD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Krishna Stone | 212.367.1016

What:
Reception to honor Larry Mass, MD, one of the six founders of Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), volunteers who were the first responders and those who continue in the fight against HIV/AIDS

Who:
Marjorie Hill, PhD, GMHC's Chief Executive Officer, will be joined by honoree Dr. Mass, volunteers, leadership of community-based organizations and donors.

When:
Sunday, June 5, 2011
5:00 pm - Reception
6:30 pm - Program with special presentation honoring Larry Mass, MD — Dr. Mass will provide remarks about the role of volunteers, particularly in the early years of the epidemic.
7:00 pm - Dancing
 
Where:
GMHC's new home
446 West 33rd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
7th floor Dining Room

Why:
Thirty years ago, on June 5, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report about five gay men in Los Angeles having a rare form of pneumonia. It was the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.  Soon after in New York City, Gay Men's Health Crisis was started by courageous volunteers which included our six founders-Nathan Fain, Larry Kramer, Larry Mass, Paul Popham, Paul Rapoport and Edmund White. Three of the six founders died of AIDS-related complications.

Thirty years later, HIV continues to rise at alarming rates — locally and nationally — particularly among women, African Americans, Latinos and men who have sex with men.

In GMHC's new offices, we will be able to expand services to meet the growing and complex needs of people affected by HIV/AIDS. The HIV prevention and testing programs are being expanded in the new GMHC Center for HIV Prevention at 224 West 29th Street which will include a new youth leadership-development program.  The new Center for HIV Prevention is scheduled to open May 31.

Interviews, photo opportunities, and facilities tour will be available on site.

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About GMHC:  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 men, women, and families that are living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in New York City. We 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.