City Scrambles To Deal With AIDS Crisis in Brooklyn

A community is rapidly dying, and the city and a number of activists are scrambling to deal with one of the largest health care crises in more than a decade.Brooklyn has become the epicenter of New York’s HIV/AIDS epidemic. Blacks in Brooklyn make up between 25% and 30% of reported cases, and nearly half of the newly diagnosed HIV patients are between the ages of 13 and 19, according to New York Department of Health statistics.“I am sad and kind of angry that Brooklyn is the epicenter for AIDS in New York City,” the president of Brooklyn, Marty Markowitz, told The New York Sun. “Most people believe that the fight against HIV/AIDS if over. We cannot let our guard down on this. Everyone here in my office is working to make HIV/AIDS a bad memory. That is our goal.”Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.In an effort to fight the epidemic, L. Joy Williams created Brooklyn LIVES, an HIV/AIDS education and testing initiative formed in conjunction with the Black Leadership on AIDS of New York City. Her organization has a full day of events planned throughout Brooklyn today, including offering free HIV rapid testing, counseling, and prevention awareness sites for people to get education and resources.“In looking at the statistics, it was overwhelming how many people were affected by a preventable disease,” Ms. Williams told the Sun. Although she is not infected with the virus, Ms. Williams said she wants to let residents know about the epidemic happening right in their own neighborhoods. “I want to shock people,” she said. “We live in a dangerous world. We have to protect ourselves from the things that we can protect ourselves from.”Ms.Williams, who serves as a special assistant to the City Council speaker, said a number of community leaders, including Senator Schumer, Council Member Yvette Clark, and Mr. Markowitz have offered their support for Brooklyn LIVES.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS is the leading cause of death among black women ages 24-34 and it’s among the top three causes of death among black men ages 25-54. In New York City, blacks account for 44% of the people living with HIV/AIDS.“We are reminded that African Amer icans are disproportionately affected by the epidemic,” the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, said in a statement. “This day is an important call to action for all New Yorkers, including advocacy groups, government agencies, the medical and faith communities, and others to work together to expand prevention efforts, increase testing and link people to quality care.”Michael Saunders, 40, a Brooklyn resident who is an activist and volunteer with the organization, has been living with HIV for 21 years.“A project like this allows us to educate and to get in the heads of young people to let them know that everything has consequences,” Mr. Saunders told the Sun. “People do things out of not caring about anything. Life matters.You matter.”For more information on Brooklyn LIVES and places to get tested, go to www.brooklynlivesproject.org.

City Scrambles To Deal With AIDS Crisis in Brooklyn

City Scrambles To Deal With AIDS Crisis in Brooklyn

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