March 10, 2022
The Black AIDS Institute and the AT Justice Collaborative Recognize
National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day
The Black AIDS Institute – a leading voice in educating and mobilizing communities across the country in the fight to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic – and the At Justice Health Collaborative today is urging Black women to commit to prioritizing their own health as much as they have committed to taking care of their families and communities.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, women make up 19 percent of all new HIV diagnoses. The highest number of new diagnoses are among women ages 25 – 44. Disparities in HIV continue as Black women and girls accounted for 57% of the new HIV diagnosis.
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is dedicated to bringing awareness to the growing cases among young adult females and address testing, treatment, and the progress in the national goal to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.
BAI has launched the Black Women and PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) Toolkit to advocate for greater use of HIV PrEP – an FDA-approved daily medication that prevents HIV by over 90%. You can learn more about BAI’s campaign here: https://blackaids.org/campaign/black-women-and-prep/
“Twenty-three percent of all people living with HIV are women – with Black women as the majority of this grim statistic. We must take care of ourselves; we must make our health a priority. On this day and every day, we must empower women and girls, especially in communities of color, to have those difficult conversations about knowing your HIV status and seeking treatments and preventions to reduce the spread of HIV among women and girls,” said Grazell Howard, Chair of the Board of BAI.
“We are seeing a surge in the presence of young Black women coming in to receive STI and HIV screenings. We need to create powerful and comfortable ways of inserting PrEP, condoms, and abstinence into conversations among Black women. That’s the only way we will change the tide of STI and HIV rates among Black women. We change the tide by upgrading the conversation,” said Deja Abdul-Haqq, Director of Organizational Development, My Brother’s Keeper.
“Black women and girls living with and at risk of HIV, face unique challenges that can prevent them from getting needed care and treatment. As a consequence, they often delay entry into care and experience poor health outcomes. It is essential that Black women and girls living with and at risk of HIV are more readily engaged in prevention interventions that produce positive health outcomes.” said Dr. Ivy Turnbull, the Deputy Executive Director of the AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Youth, Children and Families and Chair of the National Black Women’s HIV/AIDS Network.
“Our community of African American women are often misrepresented and excluded from conversations About Us and For Us as it relates to decision-making that impacts our overall health and well-being. It is time for us to demand our seats at the table and lift our voices! We are no longer willing to remain silent and be overlooked. The time is now to Talk About and Be About It. This is the appointed time for change” said Faye Marshall, COO of the Quality Comprehensive Health Center, Powerhouse Project in Charlotte.
A 2020 report in the Journal of American Medical Association reports that Black women have a 90% higher mortality rate for cervical cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer. Maternal Mortality rates are equally high among Black women. In addition, the statistics for other health disparities are just as dire: Black women have the highest rate of obesity, according to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, and nearly 50% of Black women ages 20 and older have heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.
Preventive care is vital to closing the health care disparity gaps that disproportionally impact
Black women. To this end, the Collaborative announced “Talk About It, Be About It” – a series of community conversation and events focused on women’s health that launches on Thursday, March 24th. The campaign will feature physicians and health care experts to focus on the prevention of new HIV diagnoses among women and girls, reproductive health and prioritizing health access and improving overall wellness and health outcomes for Black women in the US.
To register for the inaugural event: Black Women on HIV, COVID and Beyond – An Intergenerational Conversation, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-women-on-hiv-covid-and-beyond-an-intergenerational-conversation-registration-293764486487
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