10/14/10 AIDS Project RI Recognizes National Latino AIDS Awareness Day         “The Fact is—AIDS is not over”   AIDS Project RI knows firsthand why there needs to be a national Latino AIDS Awareness Day. “A disproportionate number of our clients are Latino,” said AIDS Project RI executive director Stephen Hourahan. National Latino Awareness Day is being promoted across the nation on Friday October 15--with the support of NBC, the Latino Commission on AIDS, the National Prevention Information Network and other organizations—because of the serious impact HIV/AIDS has had on the nation’s Latino community. “We’re seeing this with our own caseload,” said Hourahan. “We are looking at ways to more effectively break down barriers for treatment and prevention in the Latino community.” The state’s 2010 “Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan” names Hispanic/Latina women who live in Providence and Kent counties as a priority population, as are Hispanic/Latino youth across the Ocean State. According to information on the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day website, Hispanics/Latinos represent 15.3% of the nation’s population but account for an estimated 17% of new infections. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on its website notes that in the national Latino community there’s a need to overcome barriers to early HIV testing. “A recent study found that 4 of every 10 Latinos in the United States who test positive for HIV develop AIDS within a year of learning they are infected. That means a significant number of Latinos with HIV get tested late in the course of their disease, long after proper counseling and treatment should begin.” The 2010 theme for National Latino AIDS Awareness Day is “Save a Life, It May Be your Own. Get Tested for HIV.” AIDS Project RI, a division of Family Service of RI, recently held a successful Walk for Life to raise money and “most importantly, raise awareness of HIV/AIDS issues, such as what is happening in the Latino community in Rhode Island and across the nation,” said Hourahan.  “The fact is—AIDS is not over.” (end)