Groups Hold Events To Boost Awareness of Breast Cancer, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS
The following highlights events and initiatives by groups across the nation to raise awareness of breast cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
- Chicago: The Access Community Health Network last week organized "Pin-a-Sister Sunday," in which 50 churches across the city educated black and Hispanic women about breast cancer, the Chicago Tribune reports. Participating churches now offer referrals to women to receive no-cost screenings and follow-up care at ACHN, Tammy Fagan, a spokesperson for ACHN, said (Long, Chicago Tribune, 5/14).
- Las Vegas: Harrah's Foundation, a private organization funded by Harrah's Entertainment, provided St. Rose Dominican Hospitals a two-year grant worth more than $100,000 to help increase outreach efforts and address language barriers in the Hispanic community, the Las Vegas Business Press reports. The foundation last year gave the hospital system the same grant, which so far has been used to hold two annual Multicultural Health Fairs, produce Spanish-language publications, offer Spanish-language physician-referral telephone lines and fund community educational programs, according to the Business Press (Ahern, Las Vegas Business Press, 5/11).
-
National Asian/Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: National Asian/Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will be observed on May 19. Anthony Fauci, director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in a statement said that "health care workers and other public health officials need to be able to offer culturally sensitive and language-appropriate care and services. This is especially important for recent immigrants, who may not have knowledge or prior experience with the health care system" in the U.S. He added, "We must work to ensure that these services are available" and increase research efforts and community involvement (NIH release, 5/19).
- San Antonio: The National Hispanic Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians, with funding from Eli Lilly, have partnered to develop a diabetes awareness DVD aimed at Hispanics, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The DVD features information in English and Spanish (Finley, San Antonio Express-News, 5/14).
- St. Louis: The Missouri chapter of the Women's Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Women's Global Research and Development Initiative on May 12 sponsored the "Denim and Lace Soiree," an HIV/AIDS awareness conference targeting black women, the St. Louis-Post Dispatch reports. The conference, which had no-cost attendance, sought to raise awareness of the disease, as well as to counsel women with HIV/AIDS through religious guidance and other educational tools. The groups also held a fundraiser to help support local HIV/AIDS resource organizations and collected denim clothing that was donated to local HIV/AIDS agencies and shelters for women. HIV/AIDS tests also were available at no cost to participants (Harris, St. Louis-Post Dispatch, 5/12).