National HIV Testing Mobilization Campaign Launches New PSA

The National HIV Testing Mobilization Campaign has produced a new public service announcement (PSA) encouraging all Americans to get tested for HIV as part of their routine health care.

The PSA features several prominent African American faith community leaders who have committed to engaging their congregations in the fight to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. They include:

• Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, The Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York, NY;
• Bishop T.D. Jakes, The Potter’s House, Dallas, TX;
• Rev. Dr. Renee Washington Gardner, Memorial Baptist Church, New York, NY;
• Rev. Edwin C. Sanders, II, Metropolitan Interdenominational Church, Nashville, TN; and
• Rev. Lora Hargrove-Chapman, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Rockville, MD.

In the PSA, the African American faith leaders encourage individuals to “take control of their health and their life” by getting tested for HIV.

African Americans are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. Although African Americans made up only 13 percent of the U.S. population in 2006, they accounted for almost half of the estimated number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses made during that year.