“PORTLAND AIDS PROVIDERS BAND TOGETHER TO BOLSTER

WORLD AIDS DAY AWARENESS"

November 15, 2009 –To mark World AIDS Day and raise awareness throughout the Portland Metropolitan area, local HIV/AIDS service organizations have come together to launch the 9 ½  Minutes Campaign. The campaign encourages area schools, community and faith-based organizations to initiate short actions or events on December 1, 2009 to raise AIDS awareness on this 21^st Annual World AIDS Day.

“We want to create a big impact this year, so all the area providers got together to create a plan to encourage involvement and raise awareness,” explained Michael Kaplan, Executive Director of CAP.  “People need to be reminded that AIDS is still a very important issue and we want to use World AIDS Day to reach as many people as possible.”  A new website has been created, worldaidsdayportland.org, where visitors can find events to attend, register their event, share personal stories about HIV/AIDS and access important resources.  The website will serve as the hub for a wide range of local World AIDS Day events which include musical performances, a condom fashion show, a fundraising breakfast and an AIDS Walk for children orphaned by AIDS.

The 9 ½ Minutes Campaign is based on data from the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that estimates every 9½ minutes, someone in the United States is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.  “AIDS is still a significant health issue and we need to be vigilant about educating young people and the general population with the facts if we are ever going to see a major change,” notes Maria Kosmetatos, an HIV Nurse Practitioner at the Multnomah County Health Department.  “The statistics continue to be alarming and the 9 ½ minute campaign demonstrates just how far reaching this epidemic continues to be.”

Local HIV/AIDS providers that are part of the local campaign include Africa AIDS Response, Africa Bridge, AIDS Action Project NW, CAP, HIV Day Center, Multnomah County Health Department, Our House, Partnership Project, Portland Area Global AIDS Coalition, Quest Center and Women of Vision. 

AIDS FACTS:

• Every 9½ minutes (on average), someone in the United States is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
• In 2006, an estimated 56,300 people became infected with HIV.
• More than 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV.
• Of those 1 million people living with HIV, 1 out of 5 do not know they are infected. (People who have HIV but don't know it can unknowingly pass the virus to their partners.)
• Despite new therapies, people with HIV still develop AIDS.
• Over 1 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with AIDS.
• More than 14,000 people with AIDS still die each year in the United States.