Engaging the Latino Community in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

This year, more than 20,000 people will attend the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., July 22-26, 2011. This conference is the largest gathering of the nation's most influential individuals, organizations, institutions, and companies working with the Latino community. And this year, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) /California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health Office of AIDS Research will convene HIV/AIDS researchers, medical providers, elected officials, and Latino community leaders involved in HIV/AIDS prevention and will release an HIV/AIDS White Paper.

On Monday, July 25, the conference will feature a special workshop entitled A Call to Action: Prevention of HIV/AIDS in the Latino Community. The workshop will focus on effective community-based prevention, testing, and treatment models, and highlight the importance of the Latino community's involvement in community-based participatory research and the upcoming 2012 International AIDS Conference.

On Tuesday, July 26, experts will gather to dialogue in a featured session entitled ¿A Dónde Vamos? New Directions for Community Involvement in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Research. The discussion will center on national services and funding streams such as Ryan White, trends, disparities and progress within health departments and state efforts, current HIV prevention research, and new directions for effective interventions. A new White Paper will also be released highlighting efforts to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Latino community and reach the National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals. To learn more about this special session, you can join the discussion live on July 26 at 3pm ET.

Participants will include:

• Dr. Jack Whitescarver, Associate Director for AIDS Research, Director, Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health
• Mr. Mario J. Pérez, Director/ PACHA Member, County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS Programs and Policy
• Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis, Professor and Director, NCLR/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training
• Dr. Margarita Figueroa-Gonzalez, Director, Division of Community Based Programs, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services
• Dr. Kurt C. Organista, Associate Dean and Professor, School of Social Welfare, University of California Berkeley

For more information on the conference, visit the official website at NCLR Annual Conference and follow the updates on Twitter via @NCLR.

Melawhy Garcia-Vega, M.P.H. is the assistant director of the NCLR/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, and Leadership Training.