BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY

February 7, 2021, is the annual observance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). The Strategic Leadership Council is the community group that sets the direction for NBHAAD. This year’s observance comes at a time of renewed concern and action for health equity and inclusion across the nation.

We’ve put together a list of resources from HIV.gov and our federal partners to help you get involved with NBHAAD and spread the word.

Where to Go

Our NBHAAD Awareness Day page has resources such as the NBHAAD logo, fact sheets, and other materials from the community and across the U.S. Government. We feature the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) NBHAAD digital toolkit and their Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign resources that you can use and share. We’ll also add registration details for some upcoming webinars hosted by the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) and CDC that anyone can join.

We encourage you to stay tuned for the Strategic Leadership Council’s communications about this year's observance. And be sure not to miss the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE) initiative quarterly stakeholder webinar on January 27, which will provide updates on major federal activities related to EHE implementation and highlight ways to improve HIV diagnosis, care and prevention outcomes for Black women. Register here  to join.

What to Know

Given the disproportionate impact of HIV on Black communities, we encourage you to learn what’s happening with EHE implementation. This data-driven, locally-implemented effort continues its important work to reduce new HIV infections even as our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic proceeds.

PrEP is an important HIV prevention tool and the Ready Set PrEP program may be right for you or eligible individuals with whom you work. Please share information about the HIV Services Locator, where individuals can find PrEP providers in their local area.

HIV self-testing is a key strategy to improve testing uptake and increase diagnoses, particularly in these times when face-to-face testing services have been disrupted. Find information about self-testing on HIV.gov. Please use and share the Locator to find testing services nearby. (Be sure to call ahead to inquire about the availability of self-testing.)

HIV treatment helps people with HIV stay healthy and live longer. There is also a major prevention benefit: people with HIV who take HIV medicine daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner. Please share information about the importance of getting and staying on HIV treatment.

For more information, we provide basic HIV facts about HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Know the facts and spread the word (along with your encouragement and support) with friends and family members who have not been tested for HIV, might be at risk, or are living with HIV.

How to Share

The hashtag for NBHAAD 2021 is #NBHAAD. Let your voice be heard by using the hashtag on your social media.

The following channels are part of the conversation, give them a follow, like or share:

·         Facebook: HIVgov , CDC HIV , and Start Talking Stop HIV 

·         Twitter: @HIVGov , @CDC_HIV/AIDS , @DrMerminCDC 

·         Instagram: @HIVgov , @stophivtogether , @starttalkinghiv 

SOURCE: HIV GOV