More than 40 AIDS service and community-based organizations, medical providers, regional health care officials and politicians came together Monday, December 1, at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater to launch a new campaign planning to end AIDS in New York State by the year 2020.
Held on World AIDS Day, the event also launched a new report from the New York State Health Department showing that new HIV diagnoses in New York City have hit an historic low. The report has also shows that African Americans and Latinos represent a disproportionate number of new HIV/AIDS cases in the city.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of many speakers at the event, said the city would have to face AIDS head on over the next five years to achieve the 2020 goals.
 |
| NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio |
Earlier this year, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the 2020 plan, designating members of a new “Ending the Epidemic Task Force” who will work to end the AIDS epidemic over the next five years. They’ll be setting up systems to link people living with HIV to care, get them on HIV treatment and provide groups at high risk for HIV with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for prevention.
The task force hopes to reduce the number of new HIV cases across the state to 750 by the year 2020. That’s when the total number of new HIV cases should fall below the number of HIV-related deaths. Members of the task force took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Apollo as a symbol of beginning this work.
 |
| World AIDS Day 2014 Awardees |
At the event, de Blasio also launched a new cross-city campaign called “NY Knows,” which will urge sexually active New Yorkers to get tested for HIV and create testing initiatives across the city. Officials also launched the hashtag #beHIVsure to accompany the first part of the campaign.
The event included input from groups like ACT UP New York, Bailey House, Boom!Health, GMHC, Greater Than AIDS, Iris House, Harlem United, the Latino Commission on AIDS, VOCAL-NY and more.
 |
| GMHC CEO Kelsey Louie and the AIDS Service Organization Leadership |
More than 132,000 New Yorkers are currently living with HIV/AIDS across the state, according to the New York State Health Department.
World AIDS Day was also marked in New York City with free rapid testing throughout the city, a free concert in Times Square, film screenings at the School of Visual Arts and more. Click here for a full list of World AIDS Day events.
 |
| Gabriela Isler, Miss Universe 2013 |
Comments
Comments