With a single, whopping grant of $3.78 million, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is forming what effectively amounts to a league of superhero organizations aimed at delivering a crushing blow to HIV/AIDS.
According to a July 7 press release from Fenway Health of Boston:
“The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have awarded Fenway Health, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition $3.78 million for a five-year HIV prevention partnership that will focus on gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women, the groups at highest risk of HIV infection in the US. Dubbed ‘Getting to Zero,’ the initiative will target hard-to-reach, high risk members of these communities and connect them to HIV counseling and testing, health care, and prevention services.
‘Massachusetts is one of the few places in the country where HIV infections are on the decline. By focusing on those people at highest risk of transmitting HIV and giving them the resources they need to keep themselves and their partners safe and healthy, we have a real chance of all but eliminating new HIV infections and ensuring that people who are living with HIV maintain healthy, productive lives,’ said Stephen L. Boswell, MD, FACP, President & CEO of Fenway Health.
Gay and bisexual men are more severely affected by HIV than any other group in the United States. Among all gay and bisexual men, Black/African American gay and bisexual men bear a disproportionate burden of HIV, with infections among young black/African American gay and bisexual men increasing 20% between 2008 and 2010. Transgender women are also at high risk for HIV infection, with Black/African American transgender women being particularly affected.
‘Getting to Zero’ will employ culturally appropriate messaging and outreach approaches to connect people from those communities at highest risk of HIV infection to care and services.”
