Education is the top priority in battling the growing number of HIV/AIDS infections, according to participants at the second annual San Gabriel Valley HIV/AIDS Action Summit at City of Hope.
“The trend of HIV and AIDS education campaigns has waned, and infection rates are climbing as a result,” said Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, who hosted the event. “It’s critical that we reach out to our communities and educate people on the importance of prevention.”
 Alexandra Levine tells summit attendees about the importance of HIV/AIDS education. (Photo by Thomas Brown) |
The December 2008 summit featured Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., chief medical officer at City of Hope, AIDS Healthcare Foundation public policy coordinator Joey Terrill and Loring Leeds, City of Hope patient and advocate. KNBC news anchor Beverly White moderated the event, which coincided with the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day.
In addition to a plenary session, summit attendees participated in several small workshops that addressed important topics such as the impact of health disparities on women and racial and ethnic minorities and how to improve health more equitably. These sessions also covered the involvement of local government and community members in prevention programs, how to best educate people on the myths and truths about HIV/AIDS, and the influence of media and outreach campaigns.
Group members indicated that teaching people to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and keeping them committed to the cause would have the greatest impact on the disease.
“Changing people’s behavior in an attempt to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS is an extremely difficult task, which will require education and then, much more,” Levine said.
World AIDS Day is observed every year on Dec. 1. The World Health Organization established World AIDS Day in 1988 to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic.
