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HIV/AIDS
continues to devastate Latinos/Hispanics across
the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. Latinos/Hispanics are the fastest growing
population in the United States and the second
most affected by HIV and AIDS in both incidence
and prevalence. According to the CDC, by the end
of 2005 more than 77,000 Latinos/Hispanics have
died from HIV/AIDS.
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Participants
of the CALL TO ACTION AND MOBILIZATION
at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. |
For the first time in the history of this epidemic,
community based organizations, health departments,
direct service providers, researchers, advocates,
public health representatives, people living with
HIV/AIDS and many others have come together to
develop the Latino/Hispanic AIDS Action Agenda,
a national health and prevention policy blueprint
that responds to the emergency. The Agenda will
serve as a framework for community efforts and
will detail what members of the Latino/Hispanic
community assert as the necessary strategies to
reduce new infections, delay AIDS diagnoses and
prevent death. This past year, organizations
and individuals from across the country have been
meeting via conference calls and face-to-face
to agree on a national response and the steps
of how to respond to the AIDS crisis. During these
meetings, identified facilitators from many cities
and states have led in-depth working groups with
discussions on key topics to begin drafting the
Agenda. The key topics are: prevention, access
to care, immigration/migration, epidemiology,
data and surveillance, funding & resources,
research, leadership and treatment, advocacy and
education.
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As
a result of these efforts, several mem-
bers of Congress including Representative
Hilda L. Solis, Representative Nydia Velázquez,
Representative Ed Pastor, and Latino/Hispanic
community leaders released the CALL TO
ACTION AND MOBILIZATION: Latino/Hispanic
Communities Impacted by HIV/AIDS Emergency
at the Capitol Building in Washington
D.C. on September 26, 2007. This
two-page document was developed via an
extensive and participatory group process
to call the attention of local, state
and federal leaders to the devastating
impact of HIV/AIDS on our communities. Since
its release, 135 organizations and individuals
have signed on to the document declaring
their commitment to working towards the
creation on the Agenda. If you would like
to sign the Call to Action please click here |
| Representative
Hilda L. Solis and Representative Nydia
Velázquez |
On January 29-30, 2008 the National Latino/Hispanic
AIDS Leadership Summit will for the first time
provide a forum for groups to convene around the
Agenda; create and prioritize our first action
steps; and identify leaders for the different
community strategies and action efforts. The Agenda
will be our blueprint for action. The time to
act is now. By participating in the Summit we
will be committing ourselves to the crucial need
for long-term mobilization and community response.
Your commitment will help make a difference in
our communities. |
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