Press Releases

MIAMI – In observance of National HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24) will partner with the Miami-Dade County Florida Department of Health to offer HIV testing on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Frederica Wilson and Juanita Mann Health Center, located at 2520 NW 75^th Street, Miami, Florida.

"We have to end the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS so that we can end the spread and it starts with taking the test," said Congresswoman Wilson. "We cannot continue to ignore the problem and think that it will go away. HIV/AIDS robs our communities of talent and productivity. The best way to fight the spread of the disease is to get tested, know your status, and get the treatment you need if you are HIV positive."

Held for the first time in 1999, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is a national HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative targeted at Blacks in the United States and the Diaspora. According to the CDC, 1 in 8 people living with HIV in the United States is unaware that they have the disease. Miami-Dade and Broward counties were numbers 1 and 2 in the U.S. in new HIV infections in 2014 per 100,000 residents, according to state and federal data.

Congresswoman Wilson sponsored several bills to boost HIV/AIDS education and awareness throughout her career in public service. This year marks the 15^th anniversary of a bill she sponsored in the Florida legislature to mandate HIV testing for prisoners upon their release from Florida prisons. The purpose of the bill was to confirm prisoners' HIV status as they re-enter society and connect them to care if they were HIV positive.

What: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD)

When: Tuesday, February 7, 2017, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Where: Frederica Wilson and Juanita Mann Health Center 2520 NW 75^th Street, Miami, FL 33147