Establishment of July 2012 as National HIV Awareness Month

The Coalition for National HIV Awareness Month is hosting a telebriefing on the eve of World AIDS Day to announce the launch of National HIV Awareness Month in July 2012, when the International AIDS Conference will take place in the United States for the first time in more than 20 years.

WHAT: The Coalition for National HIV Awareness Month is announcing the establishment of July 2012 as National HIV Awareness Month. The goal of National HIV Awareness Month is to re-ignite our national discourse on the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic in order to create broad-scale public awareness of HIV/AIDS, end HIV stigma and discrimination and engage new stakeholders in the fight against the disease – with the ultimate goal of ending the epidemic.

Since the explosion of the global pandemic, many Americans have come to view HIV/AIDS as a problem solely affecting the developing world. National HIV Awareness Month will serve as a platform to re-engage civil society, the private sector, federal agencies and community organizations, who together have the potential to reach the broad swath of Americans who remain untouched by current HIV education efforts.

The Coalition is hosting a telebriefing on the eve of World AIDS Day to announce the launch of National HIV Awareness Month in July 2012, when the International AIDS Conference will take place in the United States for the first time in more than 20 years. July 2012 also marks the second anniversary of the release of the United States’ first-ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy by President Obama.

The coalition will issue a challenge to civil society and the private sector to create and invest in new and innovative awareness, testing, and public engagement initiatives that address the domestic HIV/AIDS crisis and foster a compassionate response over the course of National HIV Awareness Month.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 30, 2011; 11:00 am EST

HOW: Dial-in – 1.800.434.1335; access code – 954227#

WHO: Dawn Averitt Bridge, founder of the Coalition for National HIV Awareness Month
Mark Ishaug, president and CEO, AIDS United
Kevin Robert Frost, CEO, amfAR
Phill Wilson, founder and CEO, Black AIDS Institute
Guillermo Chacon, president, Latino Commission on AIDS
Shane Jenkins, director of HIV/AIDS programs and social efforts, Magic Johnson Foundation
Paul Kawata, executive director, National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC)
Frank J. Oldham, Jr., president and CEO, National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA)
Shalini Eddens, executive director, The Well Project
Naina Khanna, policy director at WORLD/U.S. Positive Women’s Network

RSVP: Sheryl Seapy
949.608.0841
sseapy@sbcglobal.net