For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke - 213.201.1525
EMAIL:jburke@apla.org
APLA JOINS THOUSANDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN OBSERVANCE OF NATIONAL BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY
February 3, 2004, Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, February 7, AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) will join hundreds of community-based organizations, clinics, and health departments across the U.S. in observance of the 4th National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Local activities planned for this important day include free HIV testing, a press conference, and an HIV memorial at Leimert Park. Another featured event will be a “human billboard” that will form at Crenshaw Boulevard and Vernon Avenue from 3 to 5 p.m.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is a national mobilization effort encouraging HIV education and testing among African Americans. NBHAAD is designed to increase awareness of the high rates of HIV infection in African American communities and of the need to redress healthcare disparities faced by these communities.
Statistics show that African Americans have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS since the epidemic’s beginning. While African Americans represent approximately 12 percent of the U.S. population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the group accounts for more than 38 percent of the nation’s AIDS cases. CDC figures also show that in 2002, AIDS was the leading cause of death for African Americans between the ages of 25 and 44. In the same year, African Americans accounted for more than half of estimated new HIV infections in the U.S.
For more information on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness & Information Day, visit the website at www.blackaidsday.org or e-mail Nbhaad_la2004@aol.com.
AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the nation’s largest AIDS service organizations, provides direct services to more than 10,000 men, women and children living with HIV or AIDS in Los Angeles County each year. Services include prevention education, food banks and nutrition education, professional dental care, housing assistance, transportation, mental health counseling, case management and home health care. More than 57 percent of APLA’s clients are people of color. 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.
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