Richard Smith, MSW, HIV/AIDS program manager for JHF (back row, center), was among those recognized by Pittsburgh City Council following the launch of the AIDS Free Pittsburgh initiative.
On December 1—World AIDS Day—leadership from JHF joined several other local agencies for a press conference at the City-County Building, Downtown, to launch an initiative designed to eliminate new AIDS diagnoses in Allegheny County and reduce new HIV infections by 75% within five years.
Influenced by successful programs in New York, San Francisco, and Washington State, the AIDS Free Pittsburgh initiative will engage partners from JHF, the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), Allegheny Health Network, the City of Pittsburgh HIV commission, Community Human Services, the HIV/AIDS Regional Collaborative, Macedonia F.A.C.E., Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, the University of Pittsburgh, and UPMC.
Only one other county in the U.S. has taken on the challenge of eliminating new AIDS diagnoses within the next five years.
“Seventy-four percent of people living with HIV/AIDS in this region, live in Allegheny County,” said ACHD Director Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, during the press conference. “That is why the County is making a concentrated and unique effort to tackle HIV/AIDS. Today, with our partners, we are proud to take on the challenge of becoming AIDS free by 2020.”
The AIDS Free Pittsburgh initiative will deploy a two-track approach to accomplish its ambitions. One track will focus on identifying HIV-positive individuals who are currently undiagnosed and linking them to medical care, to decrease the chances that they develop an AIDS diagnosis.
The second track will engage those at risk of developing HIV by providing education on how the virus is transmitted, promoting routine screening for HIV in medical settings, and increasing access to and awareness of Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is a preventive, daily pill that can lower the risk of getting an HIV infection by up to 92% if taken consistently, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
JHF will serve as the fiscal agent for the initiative, which in 2016 will focus on engaging providers and members to expand HIV testing, increasing PrEP awareness and accessibility, providing community education, obtaining baseline measures to track progress, and building partnerships regional and state leaders.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announces the AIDS Free Pittsburgh initiative to eliminate new AIDS diagnoses in Allegheny County and reduce new HIV infections by 75% by 2020.
“In our region, we pull partners together to get things done,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald during the press conference. “With true collaboration—between the county, city, health organizations, and universities—this is a goal that I know we can reach.”
Fitzgerald declared World AIDS Day in Allegheny County, and noted that the City-County Building would be illuminated red that evening in honor of the occasion. During a Pittsburgh City Council meeting following the press conference, Council President Bruce Kraus declared World AIDS Day in Pittsburgh.
“The City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend and celebrate the various health services organizations who have come together to lead the AIDS Free Pittsburgh effort and pledges our partnership and support to their goals,” Councilman Kraus said. “It is the will of the Council that all city residents and organizations join us in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”