AEGiS-PRn: HIV/AIDS is City's Number One Health Problem, but 'Not In My Neighborhood' - Leading Community Groups Release Survey Results to Coincide with World AIDS Day -

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

HIV/AIDS is City's Number One Health Problem, but 'Not In My Neighborhood' - Leading Community Groups Release Survey Results to Coincide with World AIDS Day -

PRNewswire - Tuesday, November 30, 1999

NEW YORK, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- New York City residents of all ages and ethnic backgrounds believe HIV/AIDS is the city's number one health problem according to a new survey of all five boroughs. More than half of the city's residents know one or more people that have died of AIDS or are currently living with AIDS or HIV. The survey, released today by The Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI) and The Harlem Directors Group (HDG), coincides with World AIDS Day, held each year on December 1st. Cancer ranked as the city's second health concern, heart disease was third and diabetes fourth. The telephone survey of 388 city residents was conducted this November by the survey firm Audits & Surveys Worldwide.

While recognizing the citywide problem, most New Yorker's vastly under-estimate the number of people that are HIV+ in their own neighborhood. About half of New Yorkers believe there are no more than 100 people living with HIV in their area of the city. Yet, there is an average of 3,200 individuals that are HIV+ in the immediate neighborhood surrounding each of the city's 41 major hospitals.

According to Deborah Levine, Vice President of Health & Wellness Strategies of HCCI, "This survey is a renewed call to action for every church, community group and government official in the city and a reminder that HIV/AIDS is in our own backyards. We all have to double our efforts to prevent the spread of the epidemic, encourage more people to get tested and continue to provide care to those in need."

Ravinia Hayes-Cozier, Executive Director of HDG, a coalition of HIV/AIDS agencies working in one of the city neighborhoods that has been especially affected by HIV/AIDS said, "This survey helps the thousands of people working daily to provide testing, treatment and care. It also says the residents of the city don't understand how badly HIV/AIDS affects their neighborhoods. It provides a constant reminder that a great deal of hard work must be done in our own backyards to continue educating our community."

Only half of city residents correctly estimated that the epidemic is growing the fastest among women in New York City, though more men than women are infected. 35.2% correctly identified the city's black population as having the fastest growing HIV infection rate. 29.2% chose the Hispanic population and 13.6% chose the white population. 82% identified Manhattan, the Bronx or Brooklyn as the boroughs thought to have the fastest growing caseloads. Infections are increasing in all five boroughs. An estimated one out of every six HIV+ individuals in the United States lives in New York City. An estimated 45,000 city residents do not know they are HIV+.

Individuals can call The New York State HIV/AIDS Information Service at 800-541-AIDS to find a free and convenient testing facility. Operators are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

SOURCE Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement

CONTACT: Debbie Kreshover of Medisphere Communications, 212-213-4211 for HCCI/
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PR991136

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