Latinx AIDS/HIV Awareness Vigil Slated for Oct. 18 at Springfield City Hall

SPRINGFIELD — The Gándara Center’s Project Health program will host a National Latinx HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Vigil for the Springfield community on Friday, Oct. 18 from noon to 1 p.m. at Springfield City Hall. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno will speak, as well as other community leaders, including Springfield Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris. The event will conclude with an AIDS-awareness flag-raising ceremony.

The vigil is free and open to the public. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be held inside City Hall, in Room 220.

HIV disproportionately affects Latinx communities in the U.S.; one-fifth of people with HIV in the U.S. are Latinx, and one-quarter of new HIV infections in this country occur among the Latinx population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gándara Center’s Project Health provides bilingual case-management services for individuals in the area who are HIV-positive or who have AIDS. Case managers help those living with HIV/AIDS to access medical, mental-health, and substance-use-disorder treatment and provide education for maintaining a healthy, positive lifestyle.

Those who want to know their HIV status can visit the Gándara Center Outpatient Clinic at 2155 Main St., Springfield. Testing involves just a finger prick. Results will be ready in 20 minutes, and participants can get linked to care and treatment if necessary. Contact the Outpatient Clinic at (413) 296-6147.