Health Advocacy Organizations Launch Series Of Community Events Addressing Health Conditions Prevalent Among Black Women

Los Angeles, CA – April 19, 2022 – Today, the Black AIDS Institute (BAI)– a leading voice in educating a mobilizing communities across the country in the fight to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic – and ATIRTEC’s AT Health Justice Collaborative are announcing the launch of the ‘Talk About It, Be About It’ initiative, a series of community conversations and events focused on addressing prevalent health conditions among Black Women, with a special focus on HIV/AIDS. The campaign will feature physicians and health care experts and focus on prevention of new HIV diagnoses among women and girls, reproductive health, prioritizing healthcare access, and improving the overall health and wellness outcomes for Black women in the US.
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 diagnoses. 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 as well as the rates of obesity and heart disease for Black women are also disproportionately high.

The Black AIDS Institute (BAI) is the only black domestic “think and do” tank focusing on HIV/AIDS, with special emphasis on mobilization, information dissemination, and science and treatment training for the non-clinical workforce. Not only does BAI address the social determinants of health, but it also digs deep into understanding how unlearning isms and phobias contribute to decreased health disparities and an increased ability for health service providers and institutions to provide care.

ATIRTEC’s AT Health Justice Collaborative was established with the goal to deliver public health messages, programming and tools that are both best in class and culturally fluent for diverse communities, to foster access and produce robust wellness outcomes. Aligned with the Black AIDS Institute’s values and mission to address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on Black Americans, the two entities are partnering for the ‘Talk About It, Be About It’ initiative to provide resources and culturally contextualized information to those who need it most. The partnership includes members of various health advocacy organizations including: the National Black Women’s HIV/AIDS Network, the AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Youth Children and Families, Open Arms Healthcare Center, My Brother’s Keeper, LabLINQ, Quality Comprehensive Health Center/Powerhouse Project, S.T.A.N.D. (Sisters Taking Action and Nurturing Decision Makers) and the central Mississippi chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc.
“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.

Learn more about the Black AIDS Institute at BlackAIDS.org and continue the conversation on social media @BlackAIDS.

Founded in 1999, Black AIDS Institute (BAI) is the only uniquely and unapologetically Black think and do tank in America. Our mission is to stop the AIDS epidemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals to confront HIV. Black Empowerment is our central theme, and we are led by people who represent the issues we serve.