Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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San Francisco Examiner - August 14, 2008
Sara Michael, smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com
"I think it stems to our history. The black church is a big part of the black community," said Edna Reynolds, executive director of community-based organizations at Sacred Zion Full Gospel Baptist Church in Baltimore.
"Even though they may be doing things putting themselves at risk, they still have a connection to the church and God and spiritualism."
Sacred Zion and other churches can also provide an element not always present in other programs: spiritual counseling and guidance, said the Rev. Bertha Greene, pastor at Sacred Zion, which has been providing HIV/AIDS support services since 1997.
With a captive audience each week, churches are a gathering place for the black community, particularly in a time of emergency, said the Rev. Debra Hickman, co-founder of Sisters Together and Reaching, a nonprofit faith-based HIV/AIDS outreach group.
The state's AIDS Administration works with faith leaders to provide training, covering topics from the basics to establishing an HIV ministry in the community, said Heather Hauck, director of the state health department's AIDS Administration.
Although the level of willingness to participate in the prevention depends on the organization, many understand the impact of the epidemic on the city, said Dr. Laura Herrera, Baltimore City's deputy health commissioner.
"They are definitely a part of the larger prevention strategy," Herrera said.
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