OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) affiliate organization Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases (WORLD) is proud to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the new WORLD House location, which will allow WORLD to expand its vital HIV/AIDS services in the Oakland community. WORLD provides direct social services, including psychosocial support, to over 300 HIV-positive women and their families in Oakland and reaches thousands more through the Greater Bay Area by providing HIV/AIDS and STD education/prevention, linkage to care, research and advocacy.
“This new location allows WORLD to expand outreach to more marginalized women who are most at risk for HIV/AIDS. The goal for our Rise Above women’s clinic is to increase the retention in care of high-risk diagnosed individuals through culturally competent, women-focused prevention and service programs,” said Cynthia Carey-Grant, Executive Director of WORLD. “It is the perfect utilization of the unique partnership between WORLD and AHF and the fulfillment of a vision born from our affiliation less than two years ago. As we prepare to celebrate WORLD’s 25th Anniversary this fall, we are excited by the expanded service and care possibilities this new location affords our agency.”
WHAT: Ribbon Cutting Celebration for new WORLD House & Rise Above women’s clinic
WHEN: Wednesday, March 9th, 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Ribbon cutting at 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: WORLD House, 389 30th St., Oakland, CA 94609
WORLD AND AHF
In the summer of 2014, the Oakland-based WORLD affiliated with AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a global organization serving more than 590,000 patients, in order to expand its capacity to provide critical lifesaving services to women, girls, families and communities affected by HIV in Oakland and the Greater Bay Area. Both organizations serve HIV-positive clients with a wide variety of free services.
HIV/AIDS in Oakland/East Bay/Alameda County
The Oakland TGA contains the highest percentage of diagnosed AIDS cases among women of any major metropolitan area in the western United States. As of December 31, 2013, fully 17.8% of all people living with HIV and AIDS in our two-county region were women, as compared to percentages of 12.2% for Los Angeles County, 12.0% for the State of California, and 6.5.% for San Francisco County. A total of 1,330 women were living with HIV or AIDS in the Oakland TGA as of December 31, 2013, and of these, fully 81.1% are members of ethnic minority communities. The population of women living with HIV grew by 24.5% between 2008 and 2013, from 1,068 women living with HIV and AIDS at the end of 2008 to 1,330 at the end of 2013. Over the same period, the number of women living with non-AIDS HIV grew by 47.4% over the same period, from 397 PLWH in 2008 to 437 in 2013.
African American women are particularly impacted by the local HIV women’s epidemic, accounting for only 12.1% of the adult female population of the FSN region yet accounting for nearly two-thirds (61.4%) of all women living with HIV/AIDS. By contrast, non-Hispanic white women account for 39.7% of the TGA population but only 18.9% of HIV/AIDS prevalence. Latina and Asian/Pacific Islander women account for 13.5% and 3.5% of HIV/AIDS prevalence respectively, while representing 23.2% and 22.0% of the adult female population. Three out of every five women living with HIV in the Oakland TGA were infected through heterosexual transmission (60.3%) while 22.5% were infected through injection drug use (IDU). Reflecting the length of the HIV epidemic in Oakland, women age 50 and older make up nearly half (47.4%) of ALL women living with HIV in our region, posing new challenges for service providers who must integrate women’s geriatric care issues into existing HIV care systems.
About WORLD
WORLD (‘Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases’) is a diverse organization for, by, and about women living with, and at risk for, HIV/AIDS. WORLD improves the lives and health of women, girls, families and communities affected by HIV through peer-based education, wellness services, advocacy, and leadership development. We envision a world where women, girls, and families affected by HIV and AIDS have the tools, support, and knowledge to live healthy and productive lives with dignity. Our vision is rooted in a commitment to human rights and wellness with the understanding that this includes freedom from violence; access to housing; quality healthcare; food security; physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing; education and economic justice.
About AHF
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider in the USA. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 590,000 individuals in 35 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter & Instagram: @AIDSHealthcare.
