Rep. Sciortino Sponsors 3rd Annual World AIDS Day at MA State House

On December 4th at the Massachusetts State House, public health officials, state legislators, community AIDS service providers, and consumers joined together to commemorate World AIDS Day, which is recognized internationally on December 1st of each year. This Third Annual World AIDS Day event at the State House placed an emphasis on issues surrounding women and girls impacted by HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts, where over one-tenth of new diagnoses occur in women under 25, and over 75% of newly diagnosed women are women of color.

The annual HIV/AIDS awareness event was sponsored by the offices of State Representatives Gloria Fox of Boston, Sarah Peake of Provincetown, and Carl Sciortino of Medford along with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Legislature’s LGBT Caucus, Black & Latino Legislative Caucus, and Caucus of Women Legislators, in addition to local AIDS prevention and treatment service providers.

Representative Carl Sciortino (D – Medford) spoke on behalf of the House of Representatives and the LGBT Caucus.

“At the State House World AIDS Day event, we recognize that there have been important advancements over the past decade in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts that have reduced the number of persons infected with the virus each year,” said Representative Sciortino. “However, we also acknowledge that the epidemic is not over. Stigma continues to exist against those living with the virus, which includes women and girls. There is still an urgent need to support education programs and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services here in the Commonwealth.”

Community members along with legislators and agency workers gathered in the State House Great Hall to commemorate the day and listen to remarks given by Senate President Therese Murray; Kevin Cranston, Director of the Bureau of Infectious Diseases at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health; and Rebecca Haag, President and CEO of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts. State Representatives Gloria Fox of Boston and Carl Sciortino of Medford received a citation from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett for their ongoing support for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs. The crowd also heard testimonials given by two women living with HIV, and by a woman who works at a local AIDS prevention and treatment service provider organization.

Pictured: State Representatives Gloria Fox of Boston (left) and Carl Sciortino of Medford (right) with Kevin Cranston from the Department of Public Health (center). Photo Credit: Office of Rep. Carl Sciortino.

– Submitted by the office of State Representative Carl Sciortino