National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day | March 20, 2020
Portland, OR | March 5, 2020 - This month, we honor the 14th annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD) which revolves around the theme of “Resiliency + Action: Ending the HIV Epidemic in Native Communities”. Founded in 2007, this community-driven national mobilization effort was designed “to encourage Natives (Native Americans, Native Alaskans and Native Hawaiians) across the Unites States and Territorial Areas to get education, get tested, get involved in prevention and get treated for HIV”. Resolution SAC-06-002 was submitted to and approved by the National Congress of American Indians in October of 2006, paving the way for the first NNHAAD on March 21, 2007.
Cascade AIDS Project’s offices and services are located on the traditional lands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, Cowlitz and other indigenous nations and were ceded under duress between 1848 and 1855. While the historical disenfranchisement of Indigenous peoples and tribal nations in the United States may seem a relic of the past to some, the impact of HIV/AIDS among Native Americans tells us a different story. New HIV diagnoses rates are higher in comparison to Asians and whites, with Natives more likely to be living with HIV without knowing it. Nationally, Native Americans have one of the lowest rates of HIV care access (60%) and viral suppression (48%).
In Oregon and Washington, overall outcomes for Natives living with HIV are significantly better. While there continues to be overall room for improvement, current viral suppression rates are stand at 85% (OR) and 81% (WA). CAP is committed to the mission of ending HIV transmission in native communities and addressing the health inequities faced by these communities, and we hope you will help support us in that fight. To learn more about NNHAAD and the history of the movement, check out some of the “Further Reading and Resources below.”
Further Reading and Resources
