New Media-Led Effort Responds to AIDS Crisis in Bla...( GREATER THAN AIDS Promotes Unity Powe...),Health

GREATER THAN AIDS Promotes Unity, Power of Community

Multi-Platform Campaign Incorporates PSAs, Integrated Content and Community Activities

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, leading U.S. media companies announced a new coordinated national campaign to mobilize Black Americans in response to AIDS and promote specific calls-to-action to prevent and reduce the further spread of HIV. Greater Than AIDS - a multi-faceted campaign presented under a common brand that includes targeted public service ads (PSAs) as well as integrated messages in news, entertainment and community content - seeks to strengthen a sense of community among Black Americans in response to HIV/AIDS.

From the outset, AIDS has disproportionately affected Black Americans, who today account for nearly half of new HIV infections in this country, while representing just 12 percent of the population. In some U.S. cities -- notably those with large Black populations -- prevalence rates are considerably higher than the national average. Some 500,000 Black Americans are estimated to be living with HIV today -- and those infected face greater barriers to care and treatment and are more likely to die of AIDS than other racial or ethnic groups.

According to a recent national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Black Americans are more personally worried about HIV/AIDS - with more than one in three having a family member or close friend who is living with or has died from HIV/AIDS - as compared to other races or ethnicities. Even so, tracking surveys reveal a decreasing sense of urgency, including among Black Americans, about the epidemic. "The sustained collaboration by media to deliver a concise and consistent message creates a powerful opportunity to draw attention about the disproportionate impact of HIV on Black America and promote both individual and community-level
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