Black Treatment Advocates Network: Washington DC.
We know that in Washington, D.C., Black residents are hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They make up three quarters of people living with HIV (75%), but less than half (48%) of the District of Colombia population.
In an effort to address the extreme need, the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) is launching a local network in D.C. BTAN seeks to create a critical mass of trained treatment and science educators and advocates. Since 2010, BTAN has launched in six cities (Houston, Texas, Jackson, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, California) and three regions (Bay Area, South Florida, and Louisiana) to provide intensive support and programming to respond to local HIV treatment and care needs.
In many ways, the D.C. HIV/AIDS epidemic is only a mere fraction of what is occurring across the U.S and many factors contribute to the burdensome epidemic. These include: geography—D.C. is a small, densely populated community with overlapping sexual networks, health access challenges; poverty; drug use; and high rates of other sexually transmitted diseases in addition to the stigma and lack of knowledge of HIV status.
It is with great excitement the Black AIDS Institute in collaboration with Community Education Group invites representatives from your organization to join the BTAN D.C. Network and attend the two-part training series which will cover a range of HIV/AIDS topics including: science and treatment, community mobilization, and policy and advocacy for the needs of the D.C. community.
Fighting the epidemic will require a sustained effort. This effort is the heart and soul of BTAN.