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Group Prepares to Mark HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

March 5, 2009 – The St. Thomas-St. John HIV/AIDS organization HOPE Inc. is joining organizations around the county Tuesday in observing National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The theme is "HIV is Right Here at Home. Get Tested. Know Your Status."
In conjunction with the National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, HOPE will offer free testing from Tuesday until the end of March. Testing is available at Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center on St. John and HOPE's St. Thomas office located on Dronningens Gade next to L&C Milliner.
Those taking part can pick up a Bounce Back coupon at Myrah Keating or the HOPE office before being tested in order to receive an "incentive."
"Sports bottles, pens, T-shirts – We have a whole bunch of different things," HOPE Chief Executive Officer Ivy Moses said.
The Bounce Back coupons are also available at Head Start centers on St. Thomas and St. John.
According to HOPE's press release, women most at risk are black women, women with multiple sex partners and poorer women.
More men than women in the Virgin Islands are infected, but women are catching up. Moses said women are being diagnosed when they have HIV rather than full-blown AIDS, but men aren't diagnosed until they reach the AIDS stage.
There are several reasons for this.
"Men rarely go to the doctor," Moses said.
Women are more likely to seek health care and this leads to earlier diagnoses. Moses said women understand the risk of multiple sex partners and they talk more about the disease.
HOPE also offers other programs. The SISTA program promotes condom use to prevent HIV/AIDS. Moses said participants receive $50 Visa gift cards after completion of the program.
The organization also offers the Girlfriends program that helps women to communicate with their intimate partners about HIV/AIDS.
Further information can be obtained by calling HOPE at 777-1611 or visiting the group's website.

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