HIV Screening Campaign Launches

Since 1998 Alameda County has been in a "state of emergency" as a result of its rate of diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV cases. Mayor Ron Dellums, Representative Barbara Lee, and Bono recently appeared together to highlight the state of the crisis in Oakland, which had the highest number of cases in Alameda County. The African American community has been especially hard hit representing the highest number of diagnosed AIDS cases. One of the major reasons HIV/AIDS has had such a devastating impact on the African American community is the stigma and accompanying silence that surrounds the disease the subsequent failure to get tested.

The HIV/AIDS Screening campaign is designed to address this stigma by educating, motivating, and activating Oakland residents to get screened for HIV, identify and challenge the stigma, link people who test positive to healthcare, and reinforce healthy practices for those who test negative. The campaign will target African American, Latino, and Asian communities where the stigma is most prevalent. It will be broad-based and include Mayor Ron Dellum's office, representatives from the faith community, HIV outreach organizations, medical providers, and other county elected officials.