In This Issue

On Friday, we mark National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWAGHAAD), a time when we draw attention to the impact that HIV and AIDS have had upon women and girls.

Following Black and Latino men, Black women have the third highest rate of new HIV infections, the highest rate among women. Although Black women have experienced a slight drop in new HIV infections, HIV continues to be the 7th leading cause of death for Black women between the ages of 25 and 44, and continue to be infected through heterosexual sex.

We hope that if you do not know your HIV status, you take the time today to get tested and to take someone with you to get tested. If you already know your status, and are HIV-negative, continue to protect yourself so you can stay negative. If you are HIV-positive, make sure you obtain the appropriate care and treatment.

It's also important that all of us take steps to reduce the stigma that causes many Black Americans to acquire HIV and not get the care and treatment that they need both to save their own life and prevent spreading the virus, since treatment is also prevention.

So we open this issue with a story about a new bilingual social marketing campaign that will be launched around New York City and Central New Jersey on this Friday for NWAGHAAD to encourage Black women and Latinas to become active in protecting their sexual health. The campaign was conceived and executed by one of our Heroes in the Struggle photographers, Duane Cramer. We also run a piece from AIDS.gov providing social media and other digital resources—from Facebook Pages to hashtags to Twitter handles—for NWAGHAAD.

We continue our series of stories about graduates of our AAHU class of 2016 by profiling Donna Powell's work in the Fredricksburg area of Virginia. From now through March 22nd, the U.S. Preventative Task force is inviting the public to comment on three draft research plans that address PrEP, HIV screening in asymptomatic adolescents and adults, and HIV screening in pregnant women. Read on to learn how you can make your voice heard.

Finally, as Republican lawmakers consider strategies to repeal, replace and/or repair the Affordable Care Act, some of the 10 Essential Benefits may be headed for the chopping block. Our friends at Kaiser Health News remind us what's at stake.

Yours in the struggle,

Phill