Riverside County Launches HIV/AIDS Project for Black Residents
Public health officials and religious leaders in Riverside County on Wednesday launched a campaign -- called the African Descent AIDS Mobilization Project, or ADAM's Project -- aimed at educating black residents about HIV/AIDS, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Victoria Jauregui Burns, head of the HIV/AIDS program at the county Department of Health, said the program will encourage leaders at black churches and mosques to talk about HIV/AIDS and promote testing and treatment. The NAACP and local businesses also have been asked to participate in the program, she said.
Burns said about 17% of people with HIV/AIDS in the county are black. By comparison, about 9% of the county's total population is black, she said.
Manasseh Nwaigwe, a communicable disease specialist who helped start ADAM's Project, said the program will target residents of Moreno Valley, Perris, Norco, Corona and Riverside (Wells Miller, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 10/20).