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HIV/AIDS Health Promotion an Education
Cooperative Agreement Program
Fiscal Year 2004

wrodriguez@latinoaids.org

Hispanic/Latino

The Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) project targets Latino communities throughout the United Sates and its territories, with high incidences of HIV infection. Project objectives include: a reduction in high risk behaviors and adoption of health promoting behaviors; an increase in knowledge by Latinos at high risk about the impact of HIV/AIDS; an increase in knowledge of methods by which transmission of HIV/AIDS can be prevented; an increase in counseling and testing services for high risk Latino populations; and an increased patient knowledge on how best to access care, improve access to care, and expand personal participation in treatment decisions. The Commission takes the lead in organizing elected officials and community organizations in 130 cities to sponsor National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) activities that are appropriate for their communities and that will help the target population gauge their risk, find out sero-status, and take steps to lessen risk. The project undertakes activities to ensure local programs have access to sites with rapid HIV test capacity; develop listings of local HIV prevention programs in Spanish and English; maintain and expand its network of Latinos with AIDS; conduct focus groups to assist in the development of NLAAD materials; develop specific materials for NLAAD participating churches; distribute materials on the impact of HIV and prevention strategies to community partners and various risk groups in the Latino community; counsel and test high risk Latinos during NLAAD, and ensure that the majority of programs which do testing as part of NLAAD have established relationships with medical care providers; and ensure that the “Bilingual Treatment Education Institute” prepares materials on treatment choices and how to monitor health, for Latino individuals who are HIV positive.