Nonprofit, pharmaceutical company join forces to improve care of minority HIV patients

It is well know that minorities with STDs such as HIV/AIDS face greater obstacles than white Americans in accessing treatment and care resources following their diagnosis.

With this in mind, the Black AIDS Institute and Merck, a major pharmaceutical company, have launched the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) to support community advocates in their work of connecting black HIV patients to health resources. The initiative will also boost local and national leadership, raise HIV awareness in African-American communities and push for policy and research priorities.

Phill Wilson, president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, said that the U.S. is at an important moment in combating the AIDS epidemic in minority communities.

“Improving HIV literacy, increasing the number of trained black treatment educators and expanding the level of treatment advocacy in black communities is critical to our efforts to end the AIDS epidemic [among those groups]," he stressed.

Unprotected sex and intravenous drug use are the two main risk factors for contracting HIV, and individuals who are concerned about their health may benefit from online testing kits.