PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND RECOGNIZES NATIONAL BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY
PPSNE calls for health equity so all people can lead healthy, safe, and empowered lives.
(New Haven, Conn.) – Today, February 7, 2018, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) recognizes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and reaffirms its commitment to providing access to comprehensive HIV testing, treatment and education.
“While this country has made progress toward greater health care equity, disproportionately high HIV rates remain a serious issue for too many people and too many communities,” said Kafi Rouse, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. “We are committed to offering HIV prevention education and health care services to populations facing stigma and discrimination that affects their access to health care and increases their risk of HIV.”
Rates of new HIV cases, along with barriers to treatment and health care access, continue to greatly affect already-marginalized communities. Findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlight how Black communities in the U.S. continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. For instance:
- Nationally, Black people account for four in 10 Americans living with HIV and nearly half of all new HIV infections;
- In Connecticut, Black people account for 12 percent of the population, but account for 35 percent of new HIV diagnoses and in Rhode Island, Black people account for 8 percent of the population, but account for 18 percent of new HIV diagnoses;
- Nationally, Black women comprised 60 percent of women living with HIV by the end of 2014;
- In 2015, Black women were 16 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than White women;
- And, if current diagnosis rates continue, one in six of all men who have sex with men (MSM) will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime; for Black MSM one in two will be diagnosed.
Last year, PPSNE began a new program to expand the integration of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) into its comprehensive HIV prevention and education efforts. This work was carried out in partnership with The Black AIDS Institute, a national organization working to stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals. PrEP is available at all 18 PPSNE health centers across Connecticut and Rhode Island.
“We are dedicated to providing all people, especially those who face existing barriers to accessing quality health care, with comprehensive and cutting-edge HIV prevention resources,” Rouse said. “Creating health equity is critical to ensuring that all people can lead healthy, safe, and empowered lives.”
Planned Parenthood is a trusted, local resource for convenient and confidential services for women, men and young people, including STD/STI testing, all FDA approved birth control methods, pregnancy testing and counseling, emergency contraception, and HIV testing, counseling, and prevention (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis [PrEP], a daily pill that helps prevent HIV by more than 90 percent) and more.
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