WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Charles Rangel issued the following statement on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day:

"As we near the 30th Anniversary of the first official discovery of what we now know as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), we are now closer than ever to developing a vaccine for this deadly virus.

Although we are making strides, we cannot act complacently about this pandemic -- one out of 32 people in Harlem are infected with HIV/AIDS. In fact, blacks in America are seven times more likely than Caucasians to be newly infected with HIV/AIDS, most of them being young women.

I applaud local community organizations that have risen to counter this on-going tragedy. The Harlem United Community AIDS Center works with nearly 4,000 individuals while helping more than 33,000 people through intervention, education, and awareness programs; Forging Ahead for Community Empowerment & Support (FACES) NY also assists over 10,000 HIV/AIDS victims and their family members every year; Riverside Church provides a spiritual outreach service while collaborating with secular groups; and the Harlem Hospital AIDS Center offers confidential, convenient HIV testing, as well as expert treatment and counseling, regardless of ability to pay or immigration status.

While our organizations are providing life-saving work, they cannot succeed in eradicating HIV/AIDS alone. I have reintroduced the National Black Clergy for the Elimination of HIV/AIDS Act, which authorizes various agencies to expand and increase programs for HIV/AIDS education, prevention, testing, and care/treatment, specifically with respect to African Americans. I encourage everyone to get tested and educated at clinics such as The Central Harlem STD Clinic. We have a long way to go, but together, we will get there faster."

The Central Harlem STD Clinic
2238 Fifth Avenue (137th Street)
New York, NY 10037
Travel Information: #2 train to 135th Street