Candice Wiggins, Partner in HIV Advocacy

Minnesota Basketball Star Featured in Star Tribune for Work with MAP

Candice Wiggins, star guard for the Minnesota Lynx, was featured in the Star Tribune for her work partnering with the Minnesota AIDS Project.  Candice recently appeared at the Minnesota AIDS Walk and has been a consistent advocate for youth HIV education. 

Understanding the severity of HIV is an issue close-to-home for Candice, who lost her father to HIV in 1991.  Today, HIV is the leading cause of death for black women under 40.  Candice strives to combat HIV by raising awareness among youth.  “I want to make it cool to be educated about your health, like having the latest hot outfit. It shouldn't make you nervous. It should make you proud.”

See the full Star Tribune story for more details.

National HIV Testing Day:
June 27

The Minnesota AIDS Project to offer free testing at BioScrip Pharmacy

The Minnesota AIDS Project and BioScrip Pharmacy will observe National HIV Testing Day by offering free, rapid and anonymous HIV testing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 26. The BioScrip Pharmacy is located at 2100A Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis. Results will be available in about ten minutes. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information contact the MAP AIDSLine at (612) 373-AIDS or statewide at 1-800-248-AIDS, online at www.mnaidsproject.org/aidsline or BioScrip Pharmacy at (612) 872-7808.

Knowing your status is a key factor in reducing the risk of HIV transmission. To read the full release from MAP, you can click here

June is LGBT Pride Month

President Obama Recognizes the Contributions of the LGBT Community 

President Barack Obama proclaimed June to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, citing the important and lasting contributions that LGBT communities make in our society.  Obama pointed to how LGBT communities mobilized around HIV and how they have played a vital role in broadening society’s response to the epidemic.

The Minnesota AIDS Project also wishes to recognize LGBT Pride Month and continue to work with the LGBT community to fight HIV in Minnesota.  See the full text of the president’s proclamation.

2008 HIV Statistics Released

Need for Greater Education and Focus in Specific Populations Evident

According to statistics released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for 2008, 326 new cases of HIV were reported in Minnesota. This rate of new infections is steady with the prior year.  See the full news release from MAP for more details.

The Minnesota AIDS Project, the leading source for HIV information and services in Minnesota, noted specific areas of concern including:

• Over 6,200 people are known to be living with HIV disease in Minnesota with an estimated 2,500 more unaware that they are infected.  Increasing prevalence necessitates a broad understanding of how the virus is spread and how to avoid contracting the disease
• Women represent a growing population when it comes to new infections
• Cases amongst young men (24 years of age and younger) continue to grow rapidly in gay/bisexual community

Lorraine Teel, executive director of MAP, noted that “the rising trend in young gay/bisexual men and the high rate of HIV in the African American community needs to be addressed aggressively to prevent rapid increases of HIV in these very much at-risk communities.”

Read the Kaiser Daily HIV News Headlines