MAYOR GIULIANI UNVEILS TWO NEW MOBILE AIDS VANS
-- Vans Will Offer Manhattan and Bronx Residents Private HIV/AIDS Counseling And Testing --
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today unveiled two new state-of-the-art mobile AIDS vans at City Hall. The two new H.E.L.P. (Health, Education, Life Program) vans, which will offer Manhattan and Bronx residents the opportunity for private HIV/AIDS counseling and testing by public health professionals, increase the City's HIV prevention mobile clinic fleet to five. Currently two vans provide services to residents in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island, and a fifth provides educational and prevention services throughout the City.
The Mayor was joined by Dr. Rosa Gil, Chairman of the Board of the Health and Hospitals Corporation, Dr. Benjamin Mojica, Acting Commissioner Department of Health and Errol Chin-Loy, Coordinator for Citywide AIDS Policy.
"This is a very important expansion of our AIDS prevention and education program in New York City," said Mayor Giuliani. "We recently reached a tragic milestone when we diagnosed New York City's 100,000th new AIDS case. While we have been successful in lowering the number of deaths due to AIDS, more than 10,000 New Yorkers are still diagnosed with AIDS each year. These two new mobile clinics will enable critical outreach to New Yorkers at risk of this deadly disease by providing essential education and counseling services."
The 30-foot long mobile AIDS vans, which each cost approximately $100,000, are equipped with modern, private rooms for HIV/AIDS counseling and testing. Each will be staffed by four trained Department of Health (DOH) public health advisors who will test New Yorkers for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Tuberculosis (TB) and Hepatitis B. In addition, health advisors will also make referrals for health care, social services, and substance abuse treatment.
Dr. Benjamin Mojica said, "Mobile H.E.L.P. vans are key to the Health Department's ongoing efforts to expand the availability of essential services to New Yorkers, particularly hard-to-reach residents. This proactive program enables us to provide screening and referrals, to educate about HIV/AIDS, and to initiate treatment where needed to many people at risk for HIV/AIDS, STDs, and TB, who do not have access to conventional outreach efforts."
Dr. Rosa Gil said, "We are very proud of the Mobile H.E.L.P. vans which are one more innovation in the City's ongoing efforts to expand primary, preventive care for people in every community in New York City."
Mr. Errol Chin-Loy said, "This expansion of an already successful City program will enhance our ability to provide HIV services to an already hard-to-reach population."
City Agencies | Services | News and Features | City Life
Contact Us | Search