PLANNED PARENTHOOD TO RECOGNIZE NATIONAL LATINO AIDS AWARENESS DAY

On Oct. 15, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains will join hundreds of organizations across the nation to promote HIV testing and information in recognition of National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD). NLAAD is a nationwide community mobilization campaign seeking to raise the visibility of HIV/AIDS within the Latino community.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV/AIDS is the number-four killer of Latinos aged 35 to 44 in the United States. While Latinos represent 15 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 19 percent of all AIDS cases since the beginning of the epidemic and 19 percent of all people in the United States living with AIDS.

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day was initiated in 2003 by the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Hispanic Federation. NLAAD is a day to celebrate Latinos’ rich collective heritage during Hispanic Heritage month, as well as an opportunity to remind Latino communities across the country that the epidemic continues to threaten Latino health and lives.

In contrast to other racial and ethnic groups and despite advances in treatment, Latinos are not experiencing the same declines in HIV infection.

Annually on this day, Latinos around the country and organizations participating in NLADD not only recognize the toll HIV has taken on their community, they also raise awareness of the importance of prevention and care through HIV testing activities, press conferences, health fairs, cultural events, candlelight vigils, religious services, health screenings, and many other activities. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains would like to remind the Latino community that our health centers across the country offer affordable health care options and we’re here to help.

NLAAD is supported by Planned Parenthood, NBC, Telemundo, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Univisión, MTV Trés, OraSure Technologies, the Office of Minority Health, and Boehringer-Ingelheim. For more information on where to get tested for HIV or to find out how you can participate in one of many events, please visit www.nlaad.org.