Today Is World AIDS Day

Thirty years into the HIV/AIDS Pandemic, we commemorate the work we've done, the people we've lost, the successes and the challenges ahead of us as we continue to fight HIV and its affects on our communities and our world.

This year's theme, Getting to Zero, is important because we'll never wipe out the epidemic if we don't stop its transmission from person to person. Prevention is key to ending this disease, but it's also only half the picture.

A few quick statistics:

• New York City remains the epicenter of HIV/AIDS in the U.S., with nearly 109,000 residents living with HIV -- more than at any other time in the epidemic. NYC's case rate is almost 3 times the U.S. average.
• In New York, 9 in 10 women who died of HIV/AIDS in 2009 were black or Hispanic.
• Nationally, AIDS remains among the top 3 causes of death for African-American women between ages 35-44.
• AIDS disproportionately affects Hispanic and African-American women, who account for up to 72 percent of new HIV cases in all U.S. women.
• Internationally, about 2.7 million people became newly infected last year, twice the number of people brought into treatment for the first time.

Iris House has a number of testing and outreach events this week, a list is below. For a list of citywide commemorations, check out the Gay City News article.

Iris House Testing Events

World AIDS Day Testing Days

Members of the Iris House community -- staff members and volunteers -- will be offering free HIV testing at the following locations and times:

December 1

• St. Luke AME Church with Anita Parker -- 1872 Amsterdam Ave. at 153rd Street -- Noon-2 p.m.
• Convent Baptist Church with Orbit & Listen Up -- 424 West 144 St. -- 5-7:30 p.m.
• Harlem RBI/The Base -- 333 East 100 St. -- 5-8 p.m.
• Paradise Baptist Church -- 23 Fort Washington Ave. -- 6-9 p.m.
• First AME Church: Bethel -- 60 West 132nd St. -- 6:30-8:30 p.m.
• Denny Moe's Barber Shop -- 2496 Fredrick Douglas Blvd. -- 11am - 4 p.m.

December 2 (Both Harlem Sites, 10am - 4pm)

• Iris House West Side office -- 2348 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.
• Iris House East Side Office -- 2271 Second Ave.

December 3

• Church of the Abiding Presence -- 1672 East 172 St. -- 1-6 p.m.

December 6

• City College -- 160 Convent Ave. -- 12-2pm; 6-8 p.m.

December 8

• Parkchester Baptist Church -- 1820 Benedict Ave. - 6-9 p.m.