By: Jennifer McMillen Smith, LISW-S, HIV Social Worker at MetroHealth Medical Center and medically reviewed by Ann K. Avery, MD, Infectious Disease Physician at MetroHealth Medical Center
June 2017 has two HIV-related events you won’t want to miss:
- June 8: National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
- June 27: National HIV Testing Day
Here on the Positive Peers blog, we're true believers in the power of HIV events to help raise awareness, reduce stigma, and change people’s lives for the better. So let’s look at June’s events in a little more detail:
National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Millions of Americans have moved here from their Caribbean homelands in Puerto Rico, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and more (don't worry, there won’t be a geography quiz at the end of this blog).
In 2014, our country had 4 million Caribbean Americans — almost 1 out of every 10 immigrants living here. Many Caribbean Americans live in low-income neighborhoods in big cities where the risk of exposure to HIV is much higher (mainly because people living in poverty have less access to high-quality health care and need more education about the risks of HIV). Most of them have a tough enough time finding jobs, raising kids, and dealing with the bias and discrimination that comes with being an immigrant. HIV is just one more check mark on a long list of worries.
If you observe National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on June 8, you’ll be getting the word out on the challenges they face, offering important moral support and just doing a good deed for your neighbors who’ll appreciate it.
So mark June 8th on your calendar (it’s a Thursday) and make a point of:
- Mentioning it on your social media updates (add the hashtag #NCAHAAD).
- Bringing it up at your next support group meeting and ask if they’d like to do something special to observe the day.
- Reaching out to Caribbean Americans you know and telling them you’re standing with them.
Here’s the website for National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Come join our private, stigma-free, supportive community.
Health management tools with medication & appointment reminders.
Social networking in a community conversation & private chats.
National HIV Testing Day
Every day should be HIV testing day. After all, regular testing for HIV is one of the three most powerful weapons for fighting the spread of HIV — along with smarter sex tools like PrEP and condoms, and anti-retroviral medications.
We encourage everybody who is sexually active to know their risk of getting HIV, especially if they have multiple partners and unprotected sex. Same with those who use injection drugs and shares needles. The risks are real and the more you know the better you can plan to lessen them with tools and choices that work for you.
The trouble is, HIV stigma discourages people from getting tested regularly. One great way to fight HIV stigma is to help everybody you know get over their anxiety about testing. The more we talk about it, the more normal is becomes.
So on June 27, make it point to do things that encourage people to see HIV testing as a normal part of their regular health routine. Help them understand it’s not something they should have to feel afraid or ashamed of. You might even point out where people can get tested for free, and encourage them to learn all they can about HIV risks and things like PrEP that can help keep them HIV negative. We all know you’re a social media queen like us, so here’s another chance to show everyone why you deserve that crown 😉
Here’s the website for National HIV Testing Day — stop in and see what you can do to help.
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