Big Cities Health Coalition Highlights Urban HIV/AIDS Data to Mark World AIDS Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1, 2016                 

Washington, D.C. – The Big Cities Health Coalition, (BCHC) released data today to mark World AIDS Day highlighting diagnoses rates for HIV and AIDS in America’s largest, most urban cities. The data are sourced from the Big Cities Health Inventory Data platform, an online resource that compiles public health statistics for the Coalition’s member cities. BCHC is a forum for the leaders of America’s largest metropolitan health departments to exchange strategies and jointly address issues to promote and protect the health and safety of their residents. Collectively, BCHC member jurisdictions directly impact more than 54 million people, or one in six Americans.

“On World AIDS Day, we reflect on the great toll this disease has taken on communities around the world, and we honor theimportant work of those who have fought the disease from its early days, as well as those who continue do so today,” said Chrissie Juliano, Director of the Big Cities Health Coalition. “As we turn the page in the next chapter of the battle against HIV and AIDS, we need to focus on the disparities that exist among those contracting the disease and resolve to close them. Cities across the country are doing just that through policy and program innovation.” 

Several Coalition member cities have adopted the ambitious 90-90-90 goals, established by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, to fight the disease. This means that the city commits to achieving the following results: (1) 90 percent of people living with HIV know their status; (2) 90 percent of those who are HIV positive receive antiretroviral treatment (ART); (3) 90 percent of those who receive ART achieve viral suppression.

Data in the platform show that diagnoses rates of HIV and AIDS vary widely. It also reveals that despite the progress on the fight against the disease overall, large disparities remain, most notably between African Americans, who are disproportionately affected, and other races. These rates are per 100,000 people, include all races and genders, and were collected in 2014.

The data platform allows users to examine a number of pressing health issues impacting urban communities across the country, including HIV and AIDS. It features data that was primarily collected from the coalition’s member cities, the 28 largest, most urban public health departments in the country, with additional data pulled from various U.S. Census surveys. To read the full methodology, visit https://www.bigcitieshealth.org/methodology.  

The platform includes data from Atlanta (Fulton County), Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Worth (Tarrant County), Houston, Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas (Clark County), Long Beach, Los Angeles, Miami (Miami-Dade County), Minneapolis, New York City, Oakland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland (Multnomah County), Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego County, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Funding for the platform comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through Cooperative Agreement 5U38OT000172-03.

CONTACT: Max Mays mays@bigcitieshealth.org or 913-233-6830 

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About the Big Cities Health Coalition

The Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) is a forum for the leaders of America’s largest metropolitan health departments to exchange strategies and jointly address issues to promote and protect the health and safety of their residents. Collectively, BCHC member jurisdictions directly impact nearly 62 million people, or one in five Americans. For more information, visit https://www.bigcitieshealth.org.