Congressional Summit - HIV/AIDS and Incarceration - March 11 - Original Press Release
National Minority
AIDS Council (NMAC)
Contact: Circe J. Gray Le Compte, Director of
Communications
1931 13th Street NW * Washington, DC 20009
Telephone: (202)
483-NMAC (6622) ext. 309
Web: http://www.nmac.org * E-mail:
communications@nmac.org
House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Give Welcoming Remarks to Congressional Summit
Addressing the Effects of HIV and Incarceration on Communities of Color
March
10, 2009 ~ Washington, DC ~ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will
deliver welcome remarks for the upcoming Congressional Summit, “Changing the
System: The Effects of HIV and Incarceration on Communities of Color.” Co-hosted
by the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) and Congressman Danny Davis, the
event will take place Wednesday, March 11, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., on
Capitol Hill, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Members of Congress
with expertise in HIV/AIDS and incarceration issues are scheduled to speak,
including: Congresswoman Donna Christensen, Chair, Congressional Black Caucus
Health Braintrust; Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Subcommittee on Housing and
Community Opportunity, Committee on Financial Services; Congresswoman Barbara
Lee, Subcommittee on Labor, HHS and Education, Committee on Appropriations;
Congressman Robert Scott, Chairman, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and
Homeland Security, Judiciary Committee.
In addition, well-known leaders
in the fields of HIV/AIDS, mental health, incarceration and substance abuse in
communities of color will serve as Summit panelists: Dr. Beny Primm,
Founder/Director, Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation (ARTC); Ravinia
Hayes-Cozier, Director, Government Relations and Public Policy, National
Minority AIDS Council; and Honorable C. Virginia Fields, CEO, National Black
Leadership Commission on AIDS.
Paul A. Kawata, Executive Director of NMAC
says: “The Summit offers leglislators and community leaders an incredible
opportunity to address the relationship between incarceration and rates of HIV
and co-morbidities, including hepatitis A, B, C; tuberculosis; and STDs, in
communities of color. Many of the solutions that have been presented in recent
years to mitigate HIV transmission in prisons and jails - needle exchange,
condoms , discharge planning, substance use rehabilitation - often present many
challenges themselves.”
The need
for this Summit has never been greater. Over the past three decades, the number
of people incarcerated has grown over 500%, to more than 2 million people. About
75% of these are Latino or African-American. African-Americans alone are almost
eight times more likely to be incarcerated in local jails than whites, while
women of color represent 60% of the total female incarcerated population in this
country. Women of color are more likely to serve time than their male
counterparts, and the incarcerated minority female population is 35% more likely
to be diagnosed with HIV disease, hepatitis C and other STDs than the general
population. Compared to incarcerated men, incarcerated women were 3 times as
likely to be living with AIDS.
“NMAC is working with the new
Administration to incorporate minority health issues within its overall national
health plan and in the formulation of the National AIDS Strategy,” says Ravinia
Hayes-Cozier. “HIV does not exist in a vacuum, but is directly related to the
social and economic disparities including those related to incarceration often
found in communities of color.”
The Summit also advances NMAC’s work
with the National People of Color (POC) HIV/AIDS Working Group or “The Mighty 9”
which includes, in addition to NMAC: Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness
Center, The Balm In Gilead, The Black AIDS Institute, BIENESTAR, Latino
Commission on AIDS, National Association of People with AIDS, National Black
Leadership Commission on AIDS, and National Native American AIDS Prevention
Center. The group met this past March 5-6 in Washington, DC to address key
Congressional leaders, and participate in a White House briefing, about the
disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS in communities of color.
“Addressing issues around
incarceration in our communities is essential to mitigating the impact of
HIV/AIDS among minorities, and will require a multifaceted solution implemented
at all levels of government, and across all agencies, in cooperation with
community leaders, people living with HIV/AIDS and others,” adds Hayes-Cozier.
###
About
NMAC
The National Minority AIDS Council
(NMAC) builds leadership within communities of color to address challenges of
HIV/AIDS. Since 1987, NMAC has advanced this mission through a variety of
programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national
and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous
publications and a website: http://www.nmac.org/. Today, NMAC is an association of AIDS service organizations providing valuable
information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics and other
groups assisting individuals and families affected by the AIDS epidemic. NMAC's
advocacy efforts are funded through private funders and donors only. For more information, please call (202) 483-NMAC (6622).
