Res. No. 178
Resolution calling upon the appropriate committee of the Council of the City of New York to examine the effects of HIV/AIDS on communities of color in New York City and determine the need for a study to be commissioned regarding this issue, and further calling upon the Mayor of the City of New York to declare a State of Emergency with respect to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Central Brooklyn.
By Council Members Fidler, Foster, Gennaro, Gonzalez, James, Palma, Sanders Jr., Seabrook, Vann and Weprin
Whereas, According to Kaiser Family Foundation, communities of color have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic; and
Whereas, Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), indicate that new infections are on the rise at an alarming rate, and that communities of color represent the majority of new AIDS cases and of Americans living with AIDS; and
Whereas, According to the CDC, in 2002, HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death among African-American women between the ages of 25-34; and
Whereas, An article appearing in the February 4, 2006 edition of The New York Times indicates that African-Americans make up only 25% of the City’s population, but account for 50% of all AIDS fatalities; and
Whereas, According to the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force, 1% of New York City’s population are living with HIV/AIDS, and 25% of these individuals reside in Brooklyn; and
Whereas, SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s “Report Card on HIV/AIDS”, indicates that individuals residing in Brooklyn are 3.5 times more likely to have AIDS as their fellow Americans; and
Whereas, According to the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force, of the persons living with HIV/AIDS in Brooklyn, 59% are African-American and 29% are Hispanic; and
Whereas, The Brooklyn AIDS Task Force also pointed out that Central Brooklyn has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Brooklyn, and that Brooklyn has an HIV rate of 127.3 per 100,000, as compared to New York City’s rate of 69.3 per 100,000; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the appropriate committee of the Council of the City of New York to examine the effects of HIV/AIDS on communities of color in New York City and determine the need for a study to be commissioned regarding this issue, and further calls upon the Mayor of the City of New York to declare a State of Emergency with respect to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Central Brooklyn.
SO
LS# 352 & 354
3/6/06