BATON ROUGE, LA. — January 18, 2018 — On Saturday, January 20, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome will host an HIV Summit at the BRCC Magnolia Theatre from 8:30am — 1:30pm. The Summit will be led by Mayor Broome, Natalie Cooley of the Louisiana Department of Health, and 94.1 Radio Host Latangela Sherman. The event will include panel discussions and presentations by physicians, HIV peer advocates, and prevention specialists.

The HIV Summit will bring together local, state, national, and international HIV partners to discuss the state of HIV in Baton Rouge and educate the community on prevention and treatment.

The Mayor will also sign the Fast-Track Cities Treaty. The Fast-Track Cities Initiative is a global partnership between UNAIDS, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, and the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, whose aim is to address the following targets:

90 percent of all people living with HIV (PLHIV) will know their status
90 percent of all PLHIV will receive sustained Anti-Retroviral Therapy
90 percent of all PLHIV on ART will have durable viral suppression

The Fast-Track Cities Initiative offers Baton Rouge and other cities with a high burden of HIV the opportunity to build upon, strengthen, and leverage existing HIV programs and strengthen the local AIDS response. New Orleans is currently participating in the initiative.

The Fast-Track Cities Initiative is aligned with the UNAIDS Fast-Track Strategy for ending the HIV epidemic by 2030.

For more information on the HIV Summit, contact Jared Hymowitz, Director of Mayor’s Healthy City Initiative, at JHYMOWITZ@brgov.com.