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The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County Observes World AIDS Day 2021

By Communications Office

December 02, 2021

**Please see below this release for a list of upcoming Palm Beach County Events**

Palm Beach County, Fla. — Each year on December 1, and throughout the week, World AIDS Day is observed internationally. This year’s national World AIDS Day theme is “Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone’s Voice.” This year marked the 40th anniversary of the first official cases of what later became known as AIDS.

Advances in HIV prevention and treatment have come a long way, but not everyone has benefited equally. Social determinants of health, like stigma, discrimination, income, language, and education affect not only a person’s risk of acquiring HIV, but also their health after diagnosis. Normalizing conversations around HIV is the most effective way to break down these barriers and address the intersecting issues negatively impacting community health.

In 2020, there were 117,447 people living with HIV in Florida, 3,504 of whom were newly diagnosed. That same year, complications related to HIV claimed 642 lives; this has consistently been a leading cause of death in Florida over the years. Our state experiences a high burden of the HIV epidemic, and the Florida Department of Health is committed to connecting people to the resources they need to be able to live long, healthy lives. The first step is to get tested.

Knowing your status is the first step toward effective HIV prevention. People can reduce their risk for HIV by using appropriate prevention strategies, such as taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), using condoms and, getting tested regularly. Contact a health care provider to find out if PrEP is recommended for you. Additionally, people living with HIV who take antiretroviral medication as prescribed and have an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners.

Protect yourself. Get tested. Know your status. Learn what’s next.

We have the power to both prevent and treat HIV. For more information, call 1-800-FLA-AIDS or visit KnowYourHIVStatus.com.

About the Florida Department of Health

The Florida Department of Health, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit FloridaHealth.gov.

Follow DOH-Palm Beach on Twitter at @HealthyFLPBC.

To learn more about DOH-Palm Beach programs, visit https://palmbeach.floridahealth.gov/.

 

2021 World AIDS Week Palm Beach County: Upcoming Events

Friday December 3rd

Sponsoring Agency: HCSEF Date/Time: 12/3/21, 10 am – 1 pm

Event Location: Urban League: 2107 N Tamarind Avenue, West Palm Beach 33407 Features: Free HIV Testing, Health Screenings, Health Education Resources, Giveaways, Raffles, Snacks and Refreshments

Contact: Lydia Vargas at 561-525-0981

 

Sponsoring Agency: Compass Community Center

Date/Time: 12/3/21

Event Location: Compass Community Center, 201 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth Beach 33460

Features: Community Partner Quilt Tours

Contact: Email Dylan Brooks or Lysette Perez to schedule, dylan@compassglcc.com or lysette@compassglcc.com

 

Monday-December 6th

Sponsoring Agency: Compass Community Center

Date/Time: 12/6/21, 10 am – 12 pm

Event Location: Compass Community Center, 201 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth Beach 33460

Features: Coffee Clatch, a social group for our mature LGBTQ+ community

Contact: Adrienne Percival at Adrienne@Compassglcc.com

 

Sponsoring Agency: Compass Community Center

Date/Time: 12/6/21, 5pm – 7 pm

Event Location: Compass Community Center, 201 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth Beach 33460

Features: Latinx Quilt Tour

Contact: Raymond Cortes at Raymond@compassglcc.com

 

Tuesday-December 7th

Sponsoring Agency: Compass Community Center

Date/Time: 12/7/21, 9 am – 2 pm

Event Location: Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton Campus

Features: Free HIV Testing (For students, staff, and faculty only- Not open to the public)

Contact: Dylan Brooks at Dylan@Compassglcc.com

 

Sponsoring Agency: Compass Community Center

Date/Time: 12/7/21, 1 pm – 2 pm

Event Location: Compass Community Center, 201 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth Beach 33460

Features: Coffee Clatch Book Club

Contact: Adrienne Percival at Adrienne@Compassglcc.com

 

Wednesday-December 8th

Sponsoring Agency: Compass Community Center

Date/Time: 12/8/21, 5 pm – 7 pm

Event Location: Compass Community Center, 201 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth Beach 33460

Features: Compass youth group for 12-18-years old

Contact: For more information contact Amanda Canete or Rex Barnes at Amanda@compassglcc.com or Rex@Compassglcc.com

 

Sponsoring Agency: Compass Community Center

Date/Time: 12/8/21, 6 pm – 8 pm

Event Location: Compass Community Center, 201 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth Beach 33460

Features: Community Education Series open to the public

Contact: For more information contact Raymond Cortes or Lysette Perez at Raymond@Compassglcc.com or Lysette@Compassglcc.com

 

Sponsoring Agency: Midway Specialty Care

Date/Time: 12/8/21, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Event Location: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUocOqoqjgjGt0m7F6PfWkcSY654-_x6f3B

Features: Let’s End the HIV Epidemic. Together.

Contact: Jenn Kuretski at 561-249-2279

 

Thursday-December 9th

Sponsoring Agency: Compass Community Center

Date/Time: 12/9/21, 6 pm – 8 pm

Event Location: Compass Community Center, 201 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth Beach 33460

Features: Compass Entourage: Young Adult group for 18-29-years old

Contact: For more information email Dylan Brooks at dylan@compassglcc.com.

 

Friday-December

Sponsoring Agency: Compass Community Center

Date/Time: 12/10/21

Event Location: Compass Community Center, 201 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth Beach 33460

Features: Community Partner Quilt Tours

Contact: Email Dylan Brooks or Lysette Perez to schedule at dylan@compassglcc.com or

lysette@compassglcc.com

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