May 19 is National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
In observance of National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we stand in solidarity to support and encourage Asian and Pacific Islander communities to break the silence about HIV.
This year, New York Knows partners will be providing mobile testing and outreach in New York City:
Saturday, May 18
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Broadway and Vietor Avenue in Elmhurst, Queens
Voces Latinas and South Asian Council for Social Services are partnering to provide free Mobile Unit HIV testing and health services
Friday, May 24
7 p.m. to 9 p.m
Boxer's Hell's Kitchen, 742 9th Ave., Manhattan
APICHA and GAPIMNY (Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York) are partnering to provide free Mobile Unit HIV testing and STI screenings
About two out of three of Asians in the U.S. have never had an HIV test due to stigma. Although Asian and Pacific Islanders make up 0.2% of the U.S. population and account for less than 1% of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S., HIV diagnosis in that population increased by 51% from 2011 to 2015. Between 2013 and 2017, in NYC, new diagnoses decreased among Black, Latino and White women, but increased among Asian and Pacific Islander women.
This observance day was founded by the Banyan Tree Project, a national initiative that works to stop HIV/AIDS-related stigma in Asian and Pacific Islander communities through education and storytelling.
For more information on HIV in NYC:
Get Tested: Visit a Health Department Sexual Health Clinic, call 311, visit the NYC Health Map, and click “HIV Prevention Services” or text TESTNYC (SABERNYC para Español) to 877877 to find local testing sites. Outside of NYC? Here’s the AIDS.gov testing locator.
Get Treated: If you are living with HIV, you can protect your health and your partners’ health by getting treated. Remember that if you are on treatment and maintain an undetectable viral load for at least six months, you will not transmit HIV through sex. Undetectable = Untransmittable! Text CARE (CUIDESE para Español) to 877877 for help finding HIV care or support services in NYC.
Learn More about PrEP and PEP: Daily PrEP is a safe and effective daily pill that can greatly reduce your risk of HIV infection. PrEP is much more effective at stopping HIV if you take it every day. Emergency PEP can stop HIV infection if started within 72 hours of exposure.
Stay Sure: Find out where you can pick up free NYC Condoms.
