BOSTON, Mar. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- In April, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc. (AAC) will open a new multicultural, comprehensive wellness and HIV prevention center for gay, bisexual and same gender-loving men in Boston called the MALE or Men’s Action Life Empowerment Center at 571 Columbus Avenue in the South End.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041101/NEM062LOGO-a)
The 1,800-sq.ft.-MALE Center, located across the street from the Harriet Tubman House, will offer state-of-the-art HIV prevention activities including community forums and outreach to at-risk men, educational workshops, HIV counseling and rapid testing and prevention case management. The new site also expects to create and operate a library and wellness center. The MALE Center’s Director is Benjamin D. Perkins, MA, MDiv., a long-time leader in Boston’s public health and GLBT communities.
“We envision the MALE Center as a place where gay, bi and same-gender- loving men can gather, talk and find a safe haven by experiencing life- enhancing programs ranging from nutrition and cooking to sexuality and how to deal with loneliness,” said Perkins. “We want for it to be warm, inviting, exciting and most importantly, we want to address the root causes of unsafe sexual behavior, low self-esteem and other issues that affect the risk related to HIV infection,” he added.
Boston has the greatest concentration in the state of people living with HIV/AIDS who know their HIV status, 30 percent of 14,811. Experts estimate that one third of the people living with HIV do not know their status, adding another 7,000-9,000 HIV positive people in Massachusetts who have yet to know their status.
The MALE Center’s programs are designed to: 1) decrease the number of new HIV infections among gay/bi/same-gender-loving men and 2) increase the proportion of HIV positive gay men who know their HIV status and are connected to care.
“Funding already secured for the MALE Center and further funding opportunities that we will pursue, allow us to focus critical attention on a part of the gay male/MSM community that is too often left behind,” said Rebecca Haag, Executive Director, AIDS Action Committee. “This is an exciting part of the journey toward creating healthier, vibrant and more caring communities in Boston.” For more information about the MALE Center, contact Ben Perkins at 617.450.1299 or email to malecenter@aac.org.
AIDS Action Committee (AAC), New England’s first and largest AIDS organization, is dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS by preventing new infections and optimizing the health of those already infected. AAC provides free confidential services to men and women already living with HIV/AIDS, as well as conducts extensive educational and prevention outreach to those at risk of infection. AAC also runs Massachusetts’ only statewide AIDS Hotline (1.800.235.2331) and advocates for effective science-based prevention programs.
Contact: Diego Sanchez, APR 617.450.1524 617.835.1455 dsanchez@aac.org
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041101/NEM062LOGO-aAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comAIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts
CONTACT: Diego Sanchez, APR, of AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts,Inc., +1-617-450-1524, or +1-617-835-1455, dsanchez@aac.org
Web site: http://www.aac.org/