FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2000
Ronald L. Taylor, Ph.D.
(714) 834-8704
African-American
HIV/AIDS Leadership Initiate:
Strenghtening and Developing HIV/AIDS Ministries for Black
Churches
A free one-day conference, open to all
African-American clergy, their congregations, and other
members of the African-American Community who are interested
in providing effective and appropriate HIV prevention
and supportive services to African-Americans, will be
held May 8 in Fullerton. Co-sponsored by the Health Care
Agency and the New Millennium Community Coalition, the
conference will be conducted by The Balm In Gilead, Inc.,
and will focus on building the capacity of Orange County’s
Black churches and African-American community organizations
to provide compassionate leadership in the prevention
of HIV infection and in the care and treatment of persons
living with HIV.
Recent statistics underscore the need for continued HIV/AIDS
education and prevention in the African-American Community:
AIDS is the number one cause of death for Black
men and women aged 25 to 44 in the US. It is the fifth
leading cause of death for all Americans in this age
group.
African Americans account for 13 percent of the
US population. Yet, in 1998, they accounted for 45
percent of new AIDS cases and 49 percent of total
AIDS deaths.
African-Americans are 2% of Orange County’s
population, but make up 6% of all AIDS cases, as of
December 1998.
In the US, one in 50 Black men is HIV positive.
One in 160 Black women is HIV positive.
African-American women constituted 64 percent of
United States’ female AIDS cases in 1998. Black
men were 50 percent of new AIDS cases among US men.
Pre-registration is required. For information, call Jeanine
Mumford at (714) 834-7772.
Legal