AIDS awareness event in Hempstead Village

To commemorate World AIDS Day, the Village of Hempstead and the Long Island Association for AIDS Care Inc. will host an outreach event Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kennedy Memorial Park, 335 Greenwich St., Hempstead.

Outreach staff will provide HIV/AIDS-related educational materials, free HIV rapid testing and hepatitis C testing facilitation.

Two workshops will be held during the event — one at 11 a.m. for health professionals in the village and another at 3 p.m. that will be open to the public.

Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr. said the event is especially important given that communities of color and African-Americans, in particular, are most affected by the epidemic.

“Getting tested and knowing one’s HIV status is important,” Hall said. “More individuals are living with AIDS, but in order for those who have the disease to get proper treatment, they have to know they have the illness.”

World AIDS Day is celebrated yearly on Dec. 1 to educate communities about HIV/AIDS, while empowering and supporting those living with the disease.

For more information, call LIAAC at 516-489-3400, ext. 286, or 877-TO-LIAAC (865-4222).