Blog 1/31/25

Make HIV History in Black Communities | 2025 Black Futures Month

Equitas Health celebrates Black Futures Month in February as part of our commitment to combat racism as a public health crisis. We recognize the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on Black communities. In Ohio, 44.1% of people living with HIV and 49.3% of those newly diagnosed in 2021 identified as Black– despite being only 12.8% of the state’s population.

PrEP is a once-daily pill that is 99% effective at stopping HIV. It has been used safely since 2012, and most Ohioans can get PrEP free. But only 15.4% of the 11,197 PrEP users in Ohio are Black, while 76.8% are white.

February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Equitas Health is committed to increasing access to HIV prevention and treatment for communities of color. We are proud to launch chooseprep.equitashealth.com. We designed this site so same-gender-loving men of color could see themselves in HIV prevention advertising. (We also recently launched PrEP for women and PrEP for trans folx!)

Click here to learn more.

 

Honor this day by:

1. Taking the time to take care of yourself and your health.
2. Getting tested regularly.
3. Learning about PrEP/PEP/DoxyPEP.
4. Finding community and talking to your peers about sexual health.
5. Being mindful of your words when you speak about HIV and those living with HIV.

Together, we can make HIV history for Black futures!

STATEWIDE

OHIV Hotline
Connects you to free/low-cost sexual health resources, like free condoms, at-home HIV tests, and more.

Real POZ Women
Support, empowerment, and advocacy for Black women living with HIV.

Melanated Connections
Support for BIPOC trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming people.

Walk-In HIV/STI Testing
Make an appointment to get low/no cost HIV/STI testing or find a walk-in time that works for you.

AKRON

Translation
A private support group geared towards BIPOC trans folx, but open to all trans, gender non-conforming, and nonbinary people.

COLUMBUS

Brothers in Unity
Monthly social and wellness events for same-gender-loving men of color.

Mozaic
Monthly social and wellness events for BIPOC trans and gender non-conforming folx.

African American Male Wellness Walk’s NBHAAD Event
Close the gap in HIV/AIDS equity, education, and awareness for our Black male communities.

TOLEDO

Play It Safe Game Night
A FREE National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event. Get safer sex supplies. Chat openly with a sexpert. Finish the evening with a game night!

 

Did we miss a NBHAAD event? Email socialmedia@equitashealth.com.