The New York Times on Sunday profiled the "Rhythms for Health" program, which gives out concert tickets to people who take HIV tests. People who take HIV tests, which are administered by local health officials, must provide their names and contact information so that health workers can follow up if the results are positive. The program, which is sponsored by the Black AIDS Institute, is currently working with the "Ladies First" tour, which will be in 14 cities over the next several months. Organizers of the Rhythms for Health program say that the Ladies First tour -- which features singers Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliot -- "is a sure way to reach a few major at-risk groups," such as young, black females, the Times reports. "What this is about is integrating HIV awareness into the fabric of our social, cultural and political lives," Black AIDS Institute Director Phill Wilson said, adding, "It's about reaching black people where they are, as opposed to asking them to go somewhere else" (Clemetson, New York Times, 3/14).

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