Proactive Community Services Celebrates National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
by Press Release, Proactive Community Services | original link

University Park, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Governors State University, Proactive Community Services, South Side Help Center and Men and Women in Prison Ministries are joining the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health in celebrating National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. On March 11, 2010, these collaborative partners will host a preventive health and education event where women and girls in the community will be able to access valuable information on preventing HIV infection, HIV testing and counseling and other health services.

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a nationwide initiative to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. Families, health organizations, businesses, communities, the government and individuals come together to offer support, encourage discussion and educate women and girls about practicing safer sex methods and the importance of being tested.

Every 35 minutes, a woman tests positive for HIV across the United States. More and more women have become infected with HIV since it was first reported in the early 1980s. Today, about 1 in 4 Americans living with HIV are women.

Cook County Department of Health’ surveillance data clearly reveals HIV and sexually transmitted infections continue to spiral upward at a troubling rate in south Cook County communities. In comparison to other Cook County Public Health Districts, HIV rates of 44% for the South District are the highest.

For more information about HIV/AIDS among women and girls, please visit http://www.womenshealth.gov/nwghaad.

To find county and state statistics about HIV/AIDS, please visit http://www.womenshealth.gov/quickhealthdata.

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