A free one-day conference, open to all African-American clergy, their congregations, and other members of the African-American Community who are interested in providing effective and appropriate HIV prevention and supportive services to African-Americans, will be held May 8 in Fullerton. Co-sponsored by the Health Care Agency and the New Millennium Community Coalition, the conference will be conducted by The Balm In Gilead, Inc., and will focus on building the capacity of Orange County’s Black churches and African-American community organizations to provide compassionate leadership in the prevention of HIV infection and in the care and treatment of persons living with HIV.

Recent statistics underscore the need for continued HIV/AIDS education and prevention in the African-American Community:

• AIDS is the number one cause of death for Black men and women aged 25 to 44 in the US. It is the fifth leading cause of death for all Americans in this age group.

• African Americans account for 13 percent of the US population. Yet, in 1998, they accounted for 45 percent of new AIDS cases and 49 percent of total AIDS deaths.

• African-Americans are 2% of Orange County’s population, but make up 6% of all AIDS cases, as of December 1998.

• In the US, one in 50 Black men is HIV positive. One in 160 Black women is HIV positive.

• African-American women constituted 64 percent of United States’ female AIDS cases in 1998. Black men were 50 percent of new AIDS cases among US men.

Pre-registration is required. For information, call Jeanine Mumford at (714) 834-7772.

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