[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16335]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IN SUPPORT OF WORLD AIDS DAY 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. YVETTE D. CLARKE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 1, 2014

  Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge 
World AIDS Day, 2014.
  Today, more than 35 million people worldwide are living with HIV/
AIDS. Of the 35 million, 1.2 million are in the United States and 
almost 1 in 7 Americans--that's 14 percent--are unaware of their 
infection.
  It grieves me to know that Brooklyn has earned the dubious 
distinction as an HIV/AIDS epicenter for African-Americans in NYC. 
Nearly 29,000 Brooklyn residents were living with HIV/AIDS as of June 
30, 2013. Over 30 percent of new HIV diagnoses in the first half of 
2013 were made concurrent with AIDS diagnoses and years after 
infection, when HIV was already causing illness. And surveys suggest 
that 40 percent of Brooklyn adults have yet to receive an HIV test.
  Though there have been many successes in the treatment of the 
disease, given the grim statistics that I just noted, we cannot rest on 
our successes. It is imperative that we continue to push forth 
policies, initiatives, and legislation that support HIV/AIDS research 
and programs, both domestically and globally. We also must continue to 
significantly fund HIV/AIDS research and programs.
  One such program that benefits from HIV/AIDS funding is SUNY 
Downstate's HIV Center for Women and Children, which is located in my 
district--the 9th Congressional District of New York. The center 
provides: HIV/AIDS clinical support, mental health assistance, 
psychosocial support, educational outreach, research--and the all 
important testing program--and in doing so helps stop the transmission 
of HIV/AIDS in my district.
  We must continue to fight on behalf of those who need to access life 
saving research and programs. The manner in which we as a nation 
address HIV/AIDS will determine the fate of the next generation of 
Americans. Let's continue to take a stand against the spread of HIV/
AIDS.

                          ____________________