The Black Aids Institute launched an initiative in 2008 to help get 1 million African-Americans tested for HIV by 2010, but its "signature mobilization" campaign has fallen short of its goal so far, according to an institute official.
"I don't have any actual numbers (on) where we stand at this point," said Chris Bland, the institute's mobilization manager, who has overseen the program for several months.
Bland said the organization is still trying to establish an infrastructure to track the totals on testing.
"We've been really ramping it up over the last couple of months — getting that infrastructure, that system in place where we can go out and recruit the organizations, register the organizations, and then get their testing numbers," he said.
Bland later added that "some of the numbers are coming in."
The institute's partner organizations, which help with getting people tested, are still providing figures, so numbers haven't been released, he said, adding that the focus is on mobilizing and "not getting too caught up" with numbers.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day took place Feb. 7, and the Los Angeles-based institute is among many aiming to fight what has been called an epidemic in the African American community
In 2007, blacks accounted for 51 percent of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 34 states and accounted for 48 percent of the 551,932 persons (including children) living with HIV/AIDS, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Dr. Robert Janssen, CDC director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, has been quoted as saying, "we have rates of HIV/AIDS among blacks in American cities that are as high as in some countries in Africa."
Numbers continue to come in regarding many blacks who don't know they're HIV positive, so the institute wants to identify them, Bland said.
Described as the institute's "signature mobilization" campaign, T1M brings the institute together with "the Screen Actor's Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and leading black organizations and institutions" in a "call to action to engage all of black America, from individuals to institutions, in a community-wide effort to end the AIDS epidemic," the institute's website states.
"Part of this is recognizing that this is an ongoing campaign, so we've got this goal of reaching 1 million this year," Bland said. "But it's not like the campaign is going to be over. We will continue to have sort of a revolving door of trying to reach the number."
Bland said another problem in reaching the goal is the stigma that still surrounds HIV/AIDS.
"There just continues to be barriers around people getting tested; there is still some misinformation," he said. "There is still a lot of fear ..."
The institute has identified 25 major cities for major outreach efforts, partly based on their black population, he said.
Organizations helping with the initiative are continually increasing, so Bland said he did not have figures on how many are helping fight the cause.
And although the organization does not do testing itself, it has been providing information to its partners on how to help people get tested and how to market the campaign, Bland said.
Currently, the institute is trying to bring more of its efforts online and get people and organizations to register for the initiative.
Another challenge to meet is helping people beyond testing.
"We're a national organization and testing is something that happens at the local level" Bland said. "How do you link them up with local services?"
Instead of spending money on testing campaigns, there should be more focus placed on building the infrastructure of HIV/AIDS minority organizations that are indigenous to the black community — organizations "who live, work, worship and pay their taxes within the black community," said Carrie Broadus, executive director of Women Alive, a nonprofit organization for women who have HIV/AIDS.
"If you test a million ... and we look at the current rate of 3 percent (who test positive), where will those ... people go to access services who are HIV positive, and where will the remaining (amount go) for information, prevention and education if you are not building the infrastructure?
"So, I get tested. OK, now where do I go for services?" she said.
The institute is registering individuals and organizations to become T1M members.
People interested in getting tested can visit the institute's Facebook page or its website, blackaids.org. They can also visit Greater Than AIDS Campaign's site at greaterthan.org.
Chico C. Norwood is a writer for the L.A. Watts Times.
L.A. Watts Times Managing Editor Sam Richard contributed to this report.
T1M logo and Greater Than AIDS banner from blackaids.org and greaterthan.org.
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