Office AIDS Programs and Policy:
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WHAT: The County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health, Office
of AIDS Programs and Policy, will recognize government
officials, public health leaders and HIV/AIDS community
representatives in an awards ceremony and breakfast
commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 1.
After the awards ceremony, participants will sign cards with
personal messages to honor and remember those who lost their
lives to HIV/AIDS, attach the cards to a red balloon, and
release the balloons into the Los Angeles skyline. (Please
note that the balloons are environmentally friendly and use
biodegradable latex material and string.)
The Department of Public Health is also releasing a new report
on Knowledge and Perceptions of HIV/AIDS among County
residents. The report, based on data from the 2005 L.A. County
Health Survey, reveals that while half of County adults
consider HIV/AIDS a serious health issue in their community,
misunderstandings about HIV/AIDS persist.
World AIDS Day is an opportunity to inspire people to serve as
leaders in stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS in local
communities and around the world.
WHEN: Saturday, December 1, 2007
9:00 a.m. - Breakfast
10:00 a.m. - Awards Ceremony: HIV Prevention and Care Services
Awards
10:30 a.m. - Keynote Speaker: Gretchen Morgan (HIV+ for 20
years)
11:05 a.m. - Remembrance of those lost to AIDS
11:15 a.m. - Red Balloon Launch
WHERE: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion - Los Angeles Music Center 135 N.
Grand Ave. (at 1st Street)
WHO: Available for on-site interviews:
-- Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director, Public Health and
Health Officer, County of Los Angeles, Department of Public
Health
-- Mario J. Perez, Director, Office of AIDS Programs and
Policy, County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health
-- Jeff Goodman, Commission on HIV, HIV+ spokesperson
WHY: More than 30,000 people have died of AIDS in Los Angeles County
since the epidemic began 2-1/2 decades ago, and County health
officials estimate that 15,000-18,000 people in Los Angeles
County are currently unaware they are infected with HIV.