HIV / Aids Programs

Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV/Aids. Latinos make up only 7% of the population in Massachusetts, however:

• Latinos account for 25% of people living with HIV/AIDS1
• Latina women account for 31% of all new female HIV cases2
• Latino adolescents account for 35% of all adolescents living with HIV/AIDS3
  

These figures represent those people who have been diagnosed and have sought primary care treatment. It estimated that at least 25% of people infected with HIV/AIDS do not yet know it.

Centro Latino is very concerned with this epidemic and seeks to increase the number of people who know their HIV status and understand how to protect themselves, so that the community can decrease the number of new infections. The HIV/AIDS Counseling and Support Program is made up of Centro's community health services. Initiated in 1991, this program was the first in the area to offer bilingual, bicultural, free and anonymous HIV testing, counseling and support services to Latinos. The program is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Boston Public Health Commission.

Primary services include:

• HIV Counseling & Testing – free, confidential and anonymous
• Case Management Services – Support for HIV+ individual and their families
• Vidas Unidas Peer Support Group for HIV+ individuals
• HIV/AIDS Resource Library – books, videos, pamphlets
• Information & Referral Services for health care, detox, treatment, and

Other services
Partner Agencies
Centro Latino works closely with the following agencies and organizations for information and referral as well as for other support services:

• ABCD (Action for Boston Community Development) – Centro partners with ABCD on the Entre Nosotras project by providing support services to HIV+ Latina women through referrals, facilitation of a peer support group, and training of ABCD staff. This project is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
• Chelsea ASAP – Centro partners with ASAP to bring HIV Counseling & Testing services targeted to individuals overcoming substance abuse.
• Chelsea District Court – Centro receives referrals from probation officers to bring HIV Counseling & Testing services to individuals in the criminal justice system that are at high risk, such as sex workers.
• Project COPE – Centro partners with Project COPE to bring HIV Counseling & Testing services targeted to individuals overcoming substance abuse.
• East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
• Latin American Health Institute
• MGH Chelsea Health Center
• ROCA
  

Additional Resources
Mass Department of Public Health data
National Latino Aids Awareness Day
Office of Minority Health
Boston Public Health Commission

1Massachusetts HIV/AIDS Data Fact Sheet: Who is currently living with HIV/AIDS? December 2005 (MA Dept. of Public Health, www.mass.gov/dph/aids).
2 Diagnosed in Massachusetts between 1999 and 2004. Massachusetts HIV/AIDS Data Fact Sheet: Who is at most risk of HIV infection? December 2005 (MA Dept. of Public Health, www.mass.gov/dph/aids).
3Massachusetts HIV/AIDS Data Fact Sheet: Adolescents and Young Adults. March 2006 (MA Dept. of Public Health, www.mass.gov/dph/aids).