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Contact: Sonia Rastogi, sbrastogi@womenhiv.org, (510) 9860340 x317
Website: www.pwn‐usa.org /count‐us‐in |Press Kit: www.pwn‐usa.org/media/press‐kit | FB: tinyurl.com/USPWNfacebook

Oakland-based women’s HIV organization launches Count Us In! Campaign on World AIDS Day 2011 to uphold HIV-Positive women’s rights

November 29, 2011, Oakland, CA – Every 35 minutes a woman tests positive for HIV in the United States. The disease disproportionately impacts women of color and low‐income women. While women, including transgender women, account for about 30% of HIV cases nationally, women’s needs are often overlooked in the epidemic.

As part of a nationally coordinated series of events, an Oakland press conference on World AIDS Day, Thursday, December 1st,, will address this issue. Featured speakers include representatives from the Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Alameda County Office of AIDS Administration, Tri‐City Health Center, community advocates, and HIV‐positive women leaders. Mayor Jean Quan’s office has also been invited to speak. Advocates will meet in downtown Oakland for a video screening and program followed by a march and press conference.

  • When: 12/1/11 from 11am‐1pm
  • Where: Meet at WORLD’s office (449 15th Street, Ste. 303, Oakland) at 11am for Count Us In! video series release. March starts at 11:30am. Press Conference at 12pm.

The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is “Getting to Zero,” said Sylvia Young, an HIV‐positive Oakland resident. “That means zero new infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS‐related deaths. But instead we are getting to zero funding for necessary programs that save women’s lives.”

In Alameda County, 40% of women testing positive for HIV are diagnosed late, often when they’ve already progressed to an AIDS diagnosis. Late diagnosis leads to women getting into care late, getting sick faster, and dying sooner. Experts also say this is bad for HIV prevention efforts. “Data released earlier this year shows us that HIVpositive people in care and on treatment are unlikely to transmit the virus. But almost three‐quarters of people with HIV in the U.S. aren’t getting regular care or treatment. And now funding is being cut for essential programs, like peer‐based support groups and services that we know keep HIV‐positive women in care. This is bad for people living with HIV and for community health,” says Cynthia Carey‐Grant, Executive Director of Women Organized to Respond to Life‐threatening Diseases (WORLD), an Oakland‐based organization that has been serving HIV‐positive women since 1991.

On World AIDS Day, December 1st, 2011, United States Positive Women’s Network, a national membership body of women living with HIV and allies, launches Count Us In!, a national campaign to ensure that HIV‐positive women have full access to high quality healthcare that upholds their rights. Throughout the U.S., PWN will unveil:

  • A video series of HIV‐positive women leaders from across the country speaking out;
  • A photo series featuring HIV‐positive women and allies; and
  • A petition drive – sign‐on and show your support!

Can We Count On You?
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U.S. Positive Women’s Network (PWN) is a project of WORLD (Women Organized to Respond to Life‐threatening Disease) in Oakland, CA. We are a national
membership body of women living with HIV and our allies that exists to strengthen the strategic power of all women living with HIV in the United States. We
believe in self‐determination, solidarity and sisterhood. Everyday we inspire, inform and mobilize women living with HIV to advocate for changes that
improve our lives and uphold our rights. Get on our e‐mail/mailing list by contacting Sonia Rastogi, sbrastogi@womenhiv.org, (510) 986‐0340 ext. 317.