Two attendees of NJ Buddies and CAPCO's 2018 National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day event, smiling.

On October 15th, 2018, CAPCO Resource Center partnered with NJ Buddies to host an event in recognition of National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day at Noches de Colombia in Clifton. While HIV awareness continues to grow across all communities in the United States, many communities are still lagging behind the national average in terms of HIV testing, HIV education, and so on. This day recognizes the ways in which mainstream efforts to raise awareness of HIV have not always reached Latinx populations.

Three attendees of the 2018 NLAAD event gathered around a table.

Latinx populations also face unique problems when it comes to HIV prevention, care, and treatment. Language barriers often affect community members’ abilities to communicate effectively with their physicians, and cultural barriers can make disclosure difficult. Even talking about HIV can be a taboo, which can lead to increased HIV diagnoses in specific cultural communities.

Information from the NLAAD regarding Latinx communities and HIV prevention, care, and treatment. Information includes how there are an average of 28 Latinx individuals diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. each day, how Latinx individuals represent around a quarter of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. despite only being 18% of the nation's population, and how gay and bisexual Latinx men account for 75% of new HIV cases among Latinx populations.

The October 15th event addressed some of this concerns, inviting individuals of all communities and HIV statuses to attend. A presentation was offered in Spanish to discuss new breakthroughs in HIV prevention, care, and treatment, and community stakeholders were invited to speak about their experiences with HIV in Latinx communities. Additionally, Walgreen’s offered free flu shots and NJ Buddies offered free HIV testing to all attendees.

NLAAD 2018-3

For more information on National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, check out the NLAAD by clicking here.

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