Latino Commission on AIDS and Merck Launch Innovative Bilingual HIV Educational Campaign

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, during the XIX International AIDS Conference, the Latino Commission on AIDS, in collaboration with Merck (known as MSD outside of the U.S. and Canada), launched Sharing Stories, Creating Hope, an innovative multimedia HIV educational campaign. The bilingual campaign connects the stories of health-care providers and Latinos/Hispanics living with HIV to demonstrate culturally-relevant HIV care strategies. This public health tool inspires a shared hope that reinforces how individuals and communities can come together to reduce HIV-related healthcare disparities.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120726/NY46753LOGO-a )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120726/NY46753LOGO-b )

Hispanics account for approximately 16 percent of the U.S. population, yet they account for about 20 percent of all new HIV cases. Delayed testing and access to care are some reasons why Latinos/Hispanics are often diagnosed at a late stage of HIV infection. Sharing Stories, Creating Hope aims to address the unique challenges the community faces by strengthening patient-provider relationships and supporting engagement in care for Latinos/Hispanics living with HIV.

"Making a culturally relevant campaign accessible to providers and people living with HIV in order to further educate about the benefits of accessing HIV care and staying in treatment is critical for meeting the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which calls for significantly reducing new HIV infections and improving care for people living with HIV," stated Guillermo Chacon, President, Latino Commission on AIDS. "We are pleased to work with Merck to launch this campaign, which is important not just for the Latino community, but the entire HIV field."

"Merck has a longstanding history of collaborating with the HIV community to reduce healthcare disparities in treatment and care," said Chirfi Guindo, Merck General Manager and Global Commercial Leader, HIV. "Our unique cross-sector collaboration with the Latino Commission on AIDS is paramount to ensuring communities have access to culturally and linguistically relevant resources. We are proud to support the Sharing Stories, Creating Hope campaign that transforms the experiences of individuals into concrete strategies to improve linkage to and retention in HIV care." 

Key components of the Sharing Stories, Creating Hope campaign include:

• Bilingual videos highlighting effective, replicable HIV care strategies for both patients and providers to implement
• Relevant and relatable personal stories of Latinos/Hispanics across the U.S and in Puerto Rico
• Bilingual tools for the facilitators of individual or group programs accompanied by an action-oriented resource for participants

The Latino Commission on AIDS and Merck recognize the tremendous contributions of the video participants and the local, regional and national participants to making this project a reality.

How to Access Sharing Stories, Creating Hope
This resource can be ordered at www.latinoaids.org, www.nlaad.org, or www.latinohivtesting.org.

About the Latino Commission on AIDS
The Latino Commission on AIDS (Commission) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1990 dedicated to meet the health challenges and addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS. The Commission is the leading organization coordinating National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day, National Latino AIDS Awareness Day and other prevention, research, capacity building, and advocacy programs across the United States and its territories.

Merck's Commitment to Communities Impacted by HIV
For more than 25 years, Merck has been committed to reducing healthcare disparities and improving access to HIV treatment and care in the United States. As part of this commitment, Merck engages in public-private partnerships to reduce the impact of HIV on those most in need and most at risk. Merck collaborates with leading AIDS service organizations to develop solutions that strengthen access to treatment, care, and support for disproportionately impacted communities. For more information about Merck's commitment to reducing health disparities in HIV, visit www.merckresponsibility.com.

About Merck
Today's Merck is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and consumer care and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to healthcare through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

For more information: www.latinoaids.org - www.nlaad.org
UNIDOS PODEMOS/UNITED WE CAN

SOURCE Latino Commission on AIDS