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“Collective action on HIV/AIDS can be common ground for a divided nation. On World AIDS Day and beyond, please do something to end the epidemic once and for all. Please act collectively in your community and within your network. Reach out and practice the golden rule with compassion. Know that while you are helping speed the end of HIV/AIDS — you might be building bridges at a time our nation most needs them,” said Dr. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, director of CLAFH and executive director of IPS.
The CDC’s most recent HIV data shows a welcome overall drop of 19% in new HIV infections over a ten-year period. But there was something else the data revealed — an invisible HIV crisis in the Latino community. For the same period, estimated new HIV infections among Latinos increased overall by 12% — and by 24% for Latino men-who-have-sex with men, and 95% for men-who-have-sex with men aged 25-34. Transgender Latina women didn’t fare much better with annual new HIV diagnoses increasing by 94% (2014-2022). This is the first time EVER Latino MSM have more new HIV infections than any other group.
“We can’t end HIV/AIDS across our country unless we take collective action to reverse the Invisible Latino HIV crisis,” Guilamo-Ramos stressed.
Some sectors can help supercharge this collective effort.
+ The Media can raise visibility of the crisis.
+ HIV Prevention and Treatment Organizations can conduct better, more meaningful Latino community engagement.
+ Public Health Planners can redesign the public health response to be Latino-specific.
+ Frontline HIV responders can deliver HIV services in ways that meet Latinos’ needs.
+ Scientists can foster greater Latino-focused research and evidence generation.
+ Our Leaders can do more to address the structural drivers that place Latinos at risk for HIV.
To heed the call to action, go to www.clafh.org where you can download an array of action assets including: a short video, a conversation guide, and social media assets to share.
“We are so close to ending HIV/AIDS. Collective action — especially where HIV infections are going in the wrong direction — will get us there,” Guilamo-Ramos said.
Notes to Editor:
MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Dr. Guilamo-Ramos is available for interviews. Contact Mark Daley at (202) 640-0482 (text preferred) or via email [email protected] to schedule a time.
VINCENT GUILAMO-RAMOS BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos is Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Solutions and Endowed Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Washington DC. He is a nurse practitioner and nurse scientist with clinical and research specialization in HIV prevention and treatment for Latino adolescents and young adults. He served as a member of the NASEM committee that drafted the groundbreaking Ending Unequal Treatment report. He is a regular contributor to leading health scientific journals such as The Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine. He has been funded by NIH, CDC, and federal agencies for community-based Latino focused health research. He has served on numerous federal advisory committees and is a board member of UnidosUS, the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Power to Decide.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR LATINO ADOLESCENT AND FAMILY HEALTH (CLAFH)
The Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health’s mission is to reduce health inequities among Latino adolescents and their families. CLAFH develops, evaluates, and disseminates family-based interventions designed to address the social determinants of health, reduce health disparities, and foster life opportunities. CLAFH advances its mission through community-engaged research in four key thematic areas: (1) Strengthening the role of families in supporting adolescent and young adult health and life opportunities through the development and evaluation of family-based interventions; (2) meaningfully engaging the Latino community to identify, understand, and collaboratively address the underlying drivers of health and social inequities; (3) developing and evaluating innovative, nurse-driven models of health care delivery that improve access to and utilization of prevention and treatment services in underserved communities; and (4) driving real-world impact, locally and nationally, by promoting the uptake of evidence-based interventions and shaping the priorities of key decision-makers. Details at clafh.org
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR POLICY SOLUTIONS
The Institute for Policy Solutions (IPS) at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing ends health inequities through evidence-based policy solutions. IPS is focused on nurse-driven solutions to solve one of the country’s most alarming and unsustainable problems: health inequities. Nurses bring novel solutions to health system reform that optimize health for all — no matter who you are or where you live. Our expertise and insight into the systems that deliver care and impact health, as well as what matters to patients, families, and communities, uniquely position the nursing profession to transform health care delivery to prioritize health and well-being. Through nurse leadership, the Institute drives collaborations with interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral partners in dialogue, discovery, and the adoption of solutions for making optimal health attainable for all. Details at ipsnow.org
