Southern AIDS Coalition (SAC) will host the inaugural Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (SHAAD) in Birmingham, AL on August 20, 2019. SHAAD is an opportunity to bring people together from across the country to join a national movement to raise awareness, erase HIV-related stigma and discrimination, and advocate for new and necessary resources and solutions for the Southern HIV/AIDS epidemic. With all the advances in HIV/AIDS research, advocacy, and science, the south still leads the nation in HIV incidence, prevalence, and AIDS-related deaths. The inaugural Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day seeks to change that narrative.

NACCHO recognizes the importance of raising awareness and strengthening efforts to fight the HIV epidemic in the South and will participate in this event along with many of its members from state and local health departments. In addition to state and local government leaders, SAC anticipates participation from healthcare organizations, over 60 community and corporate partners, and the U.S. Congress [Senator Doug Jones (D-AL), Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL)]. Together, these diverse groups will explore what it will take to implement Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America Initiative in the South.

Learn more about SHAAD events and resources to get involved.