For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Justin Burke - 213.201.1525

EMAIL:jburke@apla.org

For Immediate Release

NASTAD
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
444 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 339, Washington, DC 20001

NASTAD Releases its New Report “Addressing HIV/AIDS… Latino Perspectives and Policy Recommendations”

July 23, 2003 -- Washington, DC – Tomorrow, the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) releases its latest publication, Addressing HIV/AIDS… Latino Perspectives and Policy Recommendations at a Capitol Hill briefing with the Kaiser Family Foundation. Developed under the direction of NASTAD’s Latino Advisory Committee, this publication provides program and policy recommendations to state and local AIDS Directors and other health department officials as they respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Latino communities.

“Latinos at risk and infected with HIV have unique health care needs that are not being adequately addressed by the current systems,” says Julie M. Scofield, Executive Director, NASTAD. Scofield continues, “Our report informs health departments, policy makers and health care providers on how to strengthen and expand their efforts to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic among Latino communities. We hope that it will help strengthen relationships between AIDS directors, health departments and the diverse Latino communities in great need of HIV/AIDS prevention and care services.”

This document provides recommendations on how to develop programs and policies to effectively address the AIDS epidemic among Latinos. Recommendations include offering ongoing training and consultation to Latinos about HIV prevention and care planning processes, and developing public information and awareness campaigns that educate Latinos about their rights and entitlements, as well as the availability and location of local services. The report also encourages the development of Latino leadership and expertise inside of health departments at the state and local levels and within federal agencies.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic among Latinos in the United States is as complicated as Latinos are diverse. With Latinos representing 13% of the US population and 20% of AIDS cases, it is critical that public health officials develop a better understanding of Latino communities’ needs and concerns about HIV/AIDS. Changing trends in the Latino population create specific demands on service delivery systems and require creative, coordinated and consistent uses of public resources.

“If we are to effectively halt the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS, we must be willing to confront the barriers that continue to hinder the goal of full access to prevention and care services by communities of color,” says Loretta Davis-Satterla, MSA, Michigan AIDS Director and NASTAD Chair.

The document was produced in collaboration with AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). After analysis of available data and discussions with key informants from around the country, the authors offer 25 recommendations in six categories.

“Barriers to access, gaps in knowledge, fragile community-based infrastructures and inadequate or poorly targeted funding continue to contribute to health disparities among Latinos when it comes to HIV/AIDS,” says Dr. George Ayala, Director of Education at APLA and Principal Author of the document. "Although formidable, each of these issues can be effectively addressed through culturally relevant and community responsive public health policy and collaborations like the one among CDC, NASTAD and APLA that made this document possible.”

Addressing HIV/AIDS… Latino Perspectives and Policy Recommendations provides the latest information on Latinos and HIV/AIDS. It also provides a description of how immigration and migration patterns correlate with HIV infection rates. “The work addresses and invites comment around issues of fair-play and socio-economic disparities that appear to adversely affect health outcomes and resource allocation in the fight against HIV disease,” says Don Torres, New Mexico AIDS Director and NASTAD Secretary-Treasurer.

APLA, one of the nation’s largest AIDS service organizations, provides direct services to more than 10,000 men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in Los Angeles County. APLA is a leader in the provision of bilingual HIV treatment information, in print and on the Internet, and advocates for effective AIDS-related policies and legislation on the local, state and federal level. For more information, please visit www.apla.org

NASTAD represents the chief state and territorial health department HIV/AIDS program managers from across the country who are responsible for administering both federal and state funded HIV/AIDS prevention, health care, treatment and supportive services programs. Addressing HIV/AIDS…Latino Perspectives and Policy Recommendations was made possible through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention and is available on the NASTAD website at www.nastad.org.

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