AIDS Project Los Angeles Marks National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day,
Renews Call for Targeted HIV Prevention Programming for African Americans

Los Angeles, Calif., February 5, 2010 - On the occasion of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) today renewed its call for culturally relevant, evidence-based HIV prevention programming to target alarmingly high HIV infection rates among African Americans, particularly men who have sex with men (MSM). The nationwide awareness day, which will mark its 10th year on February 7, is an annual effort to boost HIV/AIDS education, testing, community involvement and treatment among African Americans.

"Every statistic points to the same conclusion: We must do more to prevent HIV among Black Americans," said APLA Director of Education Vallerie Wagner, who oversees the agency's HIV prevention portfolio.

While African Americans represent only 12 percent of the U.S. population, they account for nearly half of the 1.2 million Americans who are now living with HIV/AIDS and 45 percent of all new HIV infections. Black MSM are particularly hard hit: A recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study estimates that nearly one in two African American MSM are HIV-positive nationwide. As many as two-thirds may be unaware of their infection.

"Readily accessible HIV testing is but one element of a successful prevention strategy," Wagner explained. "We must also eradicate the stigma that persists around HIV and the shame that still surrounds gay men."

In January, APLA's African American Gay Men's Health Initiative launched "Many Men, Many Voices," a six-session discussion group that seeks to prevent HIV among African American MSM by addressing issues of self-image, stigma and homophobia, sexual health and overall wellness. And through its work as a partner organization of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) HIV Vaccine Research Education Initiative, APLA is working to raise awareness of and participation in HIV vaccine research among African Americans and others at risk.

But in 2009, state funding for an APLA-operated Men's Wellness Center in South Los Angeles was rescinded during dramatic cuts to California's HIV/AIDS budget. If funded, the Center would have offered STD testing and treatment, HIV testing and referrals, prevention counseling, drug abuse screening and treatment, and a range of other services in an underserved and predominantly African American community.

"We cannot allow budget challenges to preclude essential work to address the far-reaching consequences of poverty, health disparities and lack of access to quality care -- factors that continue to drive the epidemic among African Americans nationwide," Wagner added.

For more information on this year's observance and related events, visit blackaidsday.org.

AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Marking 25 years of service in 2008, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.