The Erie County Department of Health and members of the Erie County HIV Task Force will host the 2022 World AIDS Day program on Thursday, December 1st, 2022, at 6p.m.
This year’s World AIDS Day program will be reflecting on HIV in Erie County to date while looking toward the future for our community. This year’s event program will include the new addition of an on-site art exhibit in the Admiral Room within the Erie County Library. The exhibit titled ‘the heART project’ will consist of items provided by Erie County residents reflecting on the impact of HIV/AIDS in their lives. Attendees at the event will endorse from the submissions their preference for one item that will be used in the promotion of next year’s World AIDS Day event.
Panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display for attendees to see the world’s largest living memorial that recognizes over 100,000 lives ended prematurely by HIV.
Memorial Red Ribbons for HIV / AIDS Awareness will be provided and displayed on the library’s front windows for the month of December. Event attendees can enjoy refreshments and educational opportunities after the program during the planned social and art exhibit review on-site.
This year’s program agenda will reflect on those individuals no longer with us due to HIV / AIDS. If you would like a loved one to be recognized, you can submit their name to the Erie County HIV Task Force via email to Gary Snyder, the Task Force Chair, via email by clicking this link.
The EC HIV Task Force and the Erie County Department of Health are working together to combat this disease by building a culture of compassion, understanding and care to those living with HIV and those at risk for contracting the infection. HIV has been a part of the US experience for over 40 years.
Over the past forty decades, advances in medical research have profoundly changed the future of the lives affected by HIV. Today everyone has available the benefit of once daily medication to prevent contracting HIV, called PrEP. Persons living with HIV have medications available to them which reduce the amount of virus to levels that are undetectable. Their ongoing testing shows that they are undetectable which means the virus becomes untransmittable, which is known as “U=U” or “Undetectable equals Untransmittable”. This advancement in HIV care gives individuals the ability to enjoy productive lives with the knowledge and confidence that their lives shared with others empowered to live life to the fullest.
We strongly encourage everyone ages 15 to 65 in Erie County, who is sexually active or IV drug users, to get tested annually for HIV. It’s important that HIV testing becomes a routine practice in all healthcare settings. Erie County residents are encouraged to make their personal health a priority and request screening and testing for HIV as part of their medical care.
Everyone can help prevent the spread of HIV. Talk to your healthcare provider about HIV testing and discuss ways you can reduce your risk of HIV. Please visit the Erie County HIV Task Force’s online map for a list of organizations throughout the county that offer free confidential HIV testing as well as sites that provide free condoms. If we work together, we can make a positive difference in the fight against HIV in Erie County.