Dallas County Health and Human Services and the Black AIDS Institute Take the Greater Than AIDS Testing Tour on the Road to Dallas, Texas

Two-Day Tour Will Visit Four Local Dallas Colleges

DALLAS, Nov. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS), Greater Than AIDS and the Black AIDS Institute have partnered to present the Dallas > AIDS Testing Tour. The two-day tour, which kicks-off on Monday, November 8, 2010 in Dallas, Texas, includes stops at El Centro College, Paul Quinn College, Cedar Valley College and Mountain View College. Award winning AIDS Activist and author Marvelyn Brown will appear at each school to share her story as a young Black woman living with HIV. Free HIV testing will also be available.

As part of the Greater Than AIDS campaign, a national movement that responds to the AIDS crisis in the United States, in particular among Black Americans and other disproportionately affected groups, the Dallas > AIDS Testing Tour will engage college students and institutions in an effort to elevate public knowledge and confront stigma about the disease.

The Dallas-area has one of the highest HIV infection rates in Texas. An analysis of countywide HIV data identifies trends that show particular areas of the county to be communities with high case rates.

"College students must take personal responsibility to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS," DCHHS Director Zachary Thompson said. "DCHHS is encouraging Dallas County residents to know the facts about HIV/AIDS and get tested."

"We are at an important juncture in the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic in Black communities. The Black AIDS Institute is pleased to partner with Dallas County Health and Human Services to fight AIDS stigma, raise awareness about the magnitude of HIV/AIDS in the community, and encourage Black people in Dallas to get tested for HIV," says Phill Wilson, President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, the only national HIV/AIDS think tank in the United States focused exclusively on Black people.

About DCHHS

The mission of the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services (DCHHS)  is to protect the health of the citizens of Dallas County through disease prevention and intervention, and through promotions of a healthy community and environment. This is done through assessment, community input education, disease monitoring, regulation, and health services that help control the spread of disease. Resources, both human and financial, are directed toward areas where improvement in public health services is needed. The department will make every effort to ensure the people of Dallas County receive information and services needed to maintain and improve their health and provide good stewardship of public resources.

About the Black AIDS Institute:

Founded in 1999, The Black AIDS Institute (The Institute), a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, is the only national HIV/AIDS Think Tank in the United States focused exclusively on Black people.  The Institute's mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing traditional Black leaders, institutions and individuals in efforts to confront HIV/AIDS. The Institute offers training and capacity building, disseminates information, interprets and recommends public and private sector HIV policies, and provides advocacy and mobilization from a uniquely and unapologetically Black point of view.

About Greater Than AIDS

Greater Than AIDS is an unprecedented collaboration among a broad coalition of public and private sector partners united in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States, in particular among Black Americans and other disproportionately affected groups.  Through a national media campaign and targeted community outreach, Greater Than AIDS aims to increase knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS and confront the stigma surrounding the disease. 

SOURCE Black AIDS Institute