Southern AIDS Living Quilt Project Coming to Miami

Web-based project educates and empowers through personal stories of Florida women and others across the South



MIAMI, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than eighty percent of women living with AIDS in Florida are minorities, with AIDS being the leading cause of death for African American women ages 25-34. On Thursday, October 30, the Southern AIDS Coalition (SAC) and Test for Life will host a demonstration and discussion of the Southern AIDS Living Quilt (www.livingquilt.org), a website featuring real-life video stories from southern women on the frontlines of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Living Quilt project brings to life the impact of HIV/AIDS in the South, highlighting the disproportionate impact on women, particularly women of color, and providing critical information about routine testing and the importance of early diagnosis. Nationally, Florida ranks fourth highest in AIDS case rates and second in the number of AIDS cases reported.



Southern AIDS Coalition and Test for Life host:

Southern AIDS Living Quilt Demonstration and Call to Action

Thursday, October 30, 2008

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM ET

University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine

Mailman Center for Child Development

1601 NW 12th Avenue, 8th Floor

Miami, Florida



Event Overview: Demonstration of the Living Quilt website featuring a discussion with Living Quilt participants (including women from Miami) and leading state and regional HIV/AIDS policy experts. Speakers will address the changing face of HIV/AIDS, its devastating impact on minorities and what can be done to combat the spread of the disease.



Confirmed Participants:



Tom Liberti, SAC Board Member and Chief of the Bureau of HIV/AIDS, Florida Department of Health

Tania Lopez, Senior Project Specialist, Care Resource (Women's Outreach Network) and Quilt Participant

Alex Moreno, Director, P2P HIV/AIDS Adolescent Outreach & Education, University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine



Miami area Living Quilt participants



NOTE: Spanish language speakers will be at the event.



To RSVP or to ask questions, please e-mail info@livingquilt.org or call 1-800-461-6946.



About the Southern AIDS Coalition

The Southern AIDS Coalition was formed in 2001 as a membership organization of government representatives, corporations, and community advocates. This unique partnership is borne from the burgeoning numbers of people in the South whose new infection rates are much higher than the rest of the U.S. population. SAC highlights that federal funds do not meet the needs of those living with HIV in the South and are not equally distributed across the country. SAC works to provide southern citizens an opportunity for adequate HIV/AIDS prevention information, treatment, and health care. SAC is a federally recognized 501(c)3.





SOURCE Southern AIDS Coalition