Brooklyn & Watchful Eye Host Kick-Off of NYC 2010 Stepping Up in Faith for HIV & AIDS

On Monday, July 12, Brooklyn Borough President, Hon. Marty Markowitz leads off the 2010 City-wide "Stepping Up In Faith For HIV and AIDS" week of events that run from Sunday, July 11 to Saturday, July 17.

The kickoff event will take place Monday, July 12, 2010 at 11:00 am on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall featuring people living with HIV/AIDS, clergy, elected officials, leadership of AIDS service organizations, city agencies, and supporters. A briefing of the 2010 HIV/AIDS events that will take place throughout the five boroughs will follow the kickoff ceremony.

The collective mission of the NYC Faith in Action for HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Education Coalition is to educate the communities we serve on issues of HIV/AIDS prevention and care services. The Coalition is a citywide partnership of faith-based, health and secular organizations that have a common goal-to reduce and ultimately eliminate HIV and AIDS in New York City. In 2009, we officially launched the "a citywide, Stepping Up In Faith For HIV and AIDS on the steps of City Hall. Last year's activities included HIV testing, as well as workshops on HIV prevention and other health topics at community-based and faith-based organizations throughout the five boroughs.
The mission of the Watchful Eye Testing, Outreach and Prevention (TOP) Initiative is to build a community level infrastructure through community mobilization and outreach. This allows a cross section of community leaders and stakeholders to jointly develop programs and activities that strengthen collaborative projects to conduct and sustain HIV prevention initiatives that focus on getting people tested, educated and involved.

The Watchful Eye TOP Initiative serves as a catalyst to develop and execute community actions and programmatic events promoting testing, prevention, education and services that reduce stigma, enhance risk reduction and provide a forum for persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS throughout the borough of Brooklyn and the City of New York. end_of_the_skype_highlighting
According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S., with more AIDS cases than Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Washington DC combined.