October 15, 2009
AIDS Alliance Programs Seek to Reduce Impact of HIV/AIDS in Latino Communities
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October 15 is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
Washington, D.C. -- AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families recognizes National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, October 15, 2009, as an opportunity to highlight the disproportionate HIV/AIDS burden in diverse Latino and Hispanic communities.
The prevalence among HIV positive Latino women and girls compared with other demographics is particularly concerning Latinas now represent 21% of AIDS cases diagnosed among all Latinos and the AIDS case rate among Latinas is an alarming 6 times higher than the case rate among non-Latina white women. This acute health disparity reflects an HIV/AIDS crisis among Latinos that requires additional examination and resources for prevention, testing, treatment, and support services. For more information, a fact sheet, HIV/AIDS Trends in Communities of Color: How HIV/AIDS Affects Latinos, is available on the AIDS Alliance website www.aids-alliance.org
“The vision of AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families is for no voice to be diminished in spirit or volume because of age, gender, race/ethnicity or sexual orientation. We strongly support the Latino community by providing culturally and linguistically appropriate programs that support the ongoing efforts to curtail the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” said Ms. Carole Treston, Executive Director of the AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families.
One example is AIDS Alliance’s Girls 4 HOPE (Health, Opportunities, Prevention & Education) program, a capacity building assistance program to develop the ability of HIV prevention providers in community-based organizations across the United States to improve the delivery, effectiveness, and sustainability of HIV prevention programs for Latina teen girls and their families. AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families is currently accepting applications for the next training cycle of the Girls 4 HOPE Program. For more information, please visit http://www.aids-alliance.org/education/.
“If we are to fight HIV/AIDS successfully in this nation, we must press for stronger federal and private sector leadership to expand and ensure access to comprehensive, quality HIV prevention, care and treatment for all populations,” said Treston. “We must ensure that the unique concerns and challenges faced in Latino communities are identified and addressed as we work together on a National AIDS Strategy and that proper resources are allocated for culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions this year and in the future.
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Founded in 1994, AACYF is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the partnership between consumers and providers – we are the voice of women, children, youth and families living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. AACYF works to enhance and expand access to quality, comprehensive, family-centered care to America’s children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS, as it represents the nation’s network of over 650 Ryan White Part D funded community-based organizations. Part D programs serve over 53,000 HIV-affected women, children, youth and families through sites located in 35 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
