WA State Secretary of Health John Wiesman To Give Keynote At World AIDS Day Breakfast

World AIDS Day Breakfast

Thursday – December 1, 2016 – 8:00am – 9:00am

Registration Opens at 7:30am

More than thirty years into a worldwide epidemic, HIV/AIDS has had an undeniable impact on our community. While the number of new cases has declined, hundreds of people in our community are still diagnosed with HIV every year. More than 12,000 people are living with HIV in Washington state, 60% of whom live in King County. Since the start of the epidemic, more than 6,500 people in Washington state have died as a result of the disease.

At the same time, our community’s progress in responding to HIV has been remarkable. 92% of gay men living with HIV in King County have been diagnosed. Of those people, 74% are virally suppressed, meaning that they are engaged in treatment sufficient to bring their viral load to undetectable levels, making it nearly impossible for them to transmit the virus to others. The rate of new HIV diagnoses in King County is down 23% from 10 years ago. These numbers are extraordinary, the best of any city in the United States and quite possibly the world.

We’ve achieved these extraordinary results by working together. It’s through the combined efforts of agencies like ours, and through your generous support, that we’ve been able to make a difference.

Last December, Governor Inslee and the State of Washington have presented us with a challenge to reduce the rate of new infections in Washington state by 50% by the year 2020. By continuing to work together to provide a wide spectrum of services in support of reducing new infections and improving the quality of life for the at risk of becoming infected and those currently living with the disease, we can achieve this goal. But we need your support to do it.

That is why seven of Seattle’s preeminent non-profit AIDS services providers have joined together in a powerful collaboration: the 13th Annual Stronger Together World AIDS Day Breakfast. The largest benefit of its kind in the Northwest, the breakfast is a fundraiser for Gay City Health Project, Seattle Counseling Service, and CareTeams, a program of Samaritan Center of Puget Sound, with support from African Americans Reach and Teach Health, Center for Multi-Cultural Health, Entre Hermanos and Seattle Area Support Groups & Community Center.

This breakfast is an opportunity for you to make the strongest impact you can by supporting this entire network of AIDS service providers in Seattle. Last year the event brought in over $100,000 for the combined agencies, which provided those living with HIV/AIDS care, support and most importantly – hope.

Join us this year to honor those we’ve lost, to help those who are living with HIV/AIDS, and to celebrate the power of our community in making a difference. Your support will help change lives.