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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rachel Kruer
June 26, 2009 (213) 978-0741
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA CALLS UPON ONE MILLION ANGELENOS TO GET TESTED BY 2011 IN CITYWIDE HIV TESTING WEEK
City’s HIV Testing Initiative targets minority communities disproportionately affected by virus and underserved by testing resources
LOS ANGELES - Joining efforts to combat the spread of HIV during National HIV Testing Week, Mayor Villaraigosa today called on Angelenos to get tested as the City continues its drive to test one million Angelenos for HIV by 2011 - the largest community-based HIV Testing drive in America.
"This Initiative is not about any one person taking a test, it’s about 1 million Angelenos - black, white, Latino and Asian, gay and straight - together taking responsibility for the future health of our City," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "If we are going to eliminate HIV in Los Angeles, we need to get past the stereotypes and stigma, and make HIV testing a part of routine healthcare for all Angelenos."
LA County health officials estimate that 12,000 to 15,000 residents of the County of Los Angeles are living with HIV but do not know that they are carriers of the virus, a figure that could increase infection rates if routine testing is not adopted more readily among all residents.
Instead of focusing on targeting individuals who identify with particular behavioral risk groups, the LA City HIV Testing Initiative will reach out to minority communities and neighborhoods underserved by HIV counseling and testing - but who now make up the bulk of new infections in LA. The City’s outreach plan reaches individuals who are unaware of their infection and not readily identified with traditional targeted risk groups.
In Los Angeles, Latinos account for the greatest number of AIDS cases diagnosed, at 46 percent of all new cases. African Americans are the most
disproportionately affected by HIV - they make up approximately nine percent of the population, but account for 27 percent of AIDS diagnoses in the County. In 1992, Women accounted for five percent of AIDS cases in the City of Los Angeles, in 2004, cases more than doubled to 12 percent.
"Latinos make up the largest number of people living with HIV in Los Angeles, and African Americans have the highest rates of infection. Numbers are increasing for both our youth and those over 50," City of Los Angeles AIDS Coordinator Stephen Simon said. "Women are an increasingly larger proportion of the epidemic. Gay and bisexual men of color in South LA are reaching infection rates akin to Sub-Saharan Africa, and jails have HIV infection rates believed to be at least triple that of the general population."
The Mayor’s office and the AIDS Coordinator’s Office launched the three year-pilot program on Worlds AIDS Day 2007 to empower individuals to know their status and to take control of their health. Run by the City’s AIDS Coordinator’s Office and funded with seed grants and in-kind assistance from AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Gilead Sciences and test-maker OraSure, the LA Initiative will work to expand HIV testing capacity at more than 50 partner hospitals, medical groups, clinics and nonprofits throughout Los Angeles.
The Initiative will also run an extensive outreach and media campaign to encourage all City residents to include HIV testing in regular check-ups and medical visits.
By encouraging more than a quarter of Angelenos to voluntarily get tested over the next two years, the Initiative ultimately aims to achieve the following:
- Reduce the stigma attached with HIV testing
- Help determine locations where programs, services and funding could be better allocated
- Expand testing in communities of color, especially among African Americans and Latinos, who are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS
- Reduce new HIV infections by helping identify and treat carriers
- Introduce rapid swab testing into a variety of venues - especially in hard-to-reach populations - to make sure that test-takers receive results and are matched with care and treatment options
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the AIDS Coordinator’s Office. To find a local HIV testing site go to www.HIVLA.org or www.freeHIVtest.net.
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