AIDS Action Committee Responds to Black AIDS Institute Report Analyzing Presidential Candidates' HIV/AIDS Records
“In this pivotal election year, the effect of HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts on African-Americans is at crisis level, as it has been since the beginning of the epidemic,” said Rebecca Haag, Executive Director, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc.
“Six percent of the state’s population is Black, yet African-Americans comprise 28 percent of the people here living with HIV/AIDS. Among people recently diagnosed, over half of the men are non-white, non-Hispanic and 83 percent are of the women are non-white, non-Hispanic. While we have the support of elected officials and health leaders in Massachusetts to preventing the spread of HIV, we need commitment at every level to end AIDS and the disparities that exist. We call on our next President to develop and implement a National AIDS Strategy with measurable outcomes, a timeline and adequate funding,” she added.
“I salute the work organized in this educational brief titled ‘We Demand Accountability’ from Phill Wilson as part of the Black AIDS Mobilization (BAM) campaign for framing the end of the AIDS epidemic in terms of leadership, including reporting on Presidential candidates’ survey responses.
“Local public health outcomes across the Commonwealth, including infection rates of HIV/AIDS, are also driven by what is decided at the national and federal levels, so demanding accountability from the top is the right step toward ending the AIDS epidemic in the U.S.,” Haag said.
AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is the state’s leading provider of prevention and wellness services for people vulnerable to HIV infection. It provides services to one in six people in Massachusetts living with an HIV diagnosis. These services include HIV counseling and testing; needle exchange; mental health counseling; housing assistance; and legal services. AIDS Action works to prevent new HIV infections, support those affected by HIV, and tackle the root causes of HIV/AIDS by educating the public and health professionals about HIV prevention and care; and advocating for fair and effective HIV/AIDS policy at the city, state, and federal levels. Founded in 1983, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is New England’s first and largest AIDS service organization. Learn more at www.aac.org.
