City Advocates New HIV/AIDS Testing Campaign
NEWARK, NJ – A social marketing campaign in the city is urging residents that "Status is Everything" when it comes to HIV testing.
As a partnership between the African American Office of Gay Concerns and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Commission, the program utilizes social media to provide 24-hour access to local HIV/AIDS testing centers.
Timothy Daniels, the spokesperson for the campaign, was diagnosed with HIV in 2007. Daniels, 22, responded to his diagnosis by joining the Hudson Pride Connections Center. He also interned as an outreach worker at the Jersey City Medical Center infectious disease clinic Center for Comprehensive Care.
"Young people need to speak directly to other young people because they will listen," he said. "You can save your life by knowing whether or not you have HIV or AIDS."
Mayor Cory A. Booker, Municipal Council President Mildred C. Crump, State Department of Health and Senior Services Assistant Commissioner Laurence Ganges and other Newark dignitaries officially launched the campaign Thursday, Feb. 4 at the City Hall Rotunda.
Representatives from the Newark Department of Child and Family Well-Being Ryan White Unit, African American Office of Gay Concerns, Newark Eligible Metropolitan Area HIV Health Services Planning Council and FEMWORKS were also in attendance at the launch.
"It's what you don't know that will kill you. 'Status Is Everything' is moving us in the right direction," Crump said. "In the past, we knew we had to do something, but we just did not know what. Now, with campaigns and efforts like these, we know how to reach residents across our City to encourage residents to get tested."
The campaign targets African-American men in the Newark area, ages 18 to 24, who are most at risk for HIV/AIDS. As part of the program, participants can text 'New Jersey' and their zip code to 36363 to receive a response with information about 24-hour access to Newark-based testing centers. Residents can also call the New Jersey HIV/STD hotline at 1-866-HIV-CHECK for more information.
"We recognize that knowledge is power, and without efforts such as this, people would not get tested," stated LGBTQ Commission Chair Darnell Moore. "This campaign puts a face to an invisible epidemic in Newark and brings the issue to the forefront of the community."
The program will also include six Public Service Announcements aired in movie theaters, on Cablevision networks, billboards, bus ads and outdoor billboards.
The Newark metropolitan area has the eleventh highest number of cumulative AIDS cases among 103 metropolitan areas of 500,000 or more residents in the US as of 2007. New Jersey continues to rank fifth among states in the U.S. with the highest number of cumulative AIDS cases at 50,694.
For more information about the "Status Is Everything" campaign, call (973) 639-0700 or visit their website at www.statusiseverything.org. Residents with questions about the Commission or any other City of Newark programs or policies should contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.
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