November 2003

Latino AIDS Awareness Day Held

People in more than 100 U.S. cities marked the first annual National Latino AIDS Awareness Day on Wednesday, October 15. The events were sponsored by the Hispanic Federation, the Latino Commission on AIDS, and the LUCES coalition, in cooperation with more than 300 national partners. Luis Lopez of AltaMed Health Services in Los Angeles said, “It’s time we acknowledge that we’re facing a runaway train that must be stopped.” Latinos represent only 14% of the U.S. population but they constitute 20% of the people living with AIDS. Particip-ating groups called upon HHS Secretary Thompson to increase HIV prevention efforts in all segments of the Latino community.