Globally, an estimated 34 million people are living with HIV. In Miami-Dade County, the estimate is 26,711, or about one in every 100 Miami residents, who may see AHF’s billboard alongside Route I-95, three-tenths of a mile north of I-395. Florida now has the third highest rate of new HIV infections in the nation.
“There’s been great progress over the past two decades, but the AIDS epidemic is still very much with us, and Florida remains an epicenter here in the U.S.,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “Through advertising and outreach like this billboard, we want to remind people that we’re working to provide easy access to rapid testing and treatment all over the world in the places that need it most—including South Florida. When people know treatment is there for them, regardless of their financial situation, they’re more likely to get tested and to get into care if they need.”
The new billboard in Miami is part of AHF’s ongoing HIV/AIDS media advertising and awareness campaigns in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and South Florida. Previous ads have promoted testing, treatment access and advocacy issues such as condom use. For information on AHF’s free HIV testing locations in South Florida and elsewhere, please visit www.freehivtest.net.
