Campaign launches in five Massachusetts communities to encourage blacks to be tested for HIV

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Friday launched a campaign -- "Get Talking, Get Tested" -- to encourage blacks in Boston, Brockton, Lynn, Springfield and Worcester to be tested for HIV, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.

The campaign is the first new HIV/AIDS testing initiative that the state has launched in four years. It will involve both billboard and print media materials, and the department also is funding no-cost confidential HIV testing at various clinics in the communities.

According to Public Health Department Commissioner John Auerbach, blacks make up 6% of the state's population and 28% of those in the state with HIV/AIDS. He said, "We want people to understand that getting tested for HIV should be a regular part of your health care routine." He added that the campaign aims to highlight the importance of HIV testing "not just for your own sake, but for the health and safety of your family and your community as a whole."

The campaign continues through the end of June (Ho, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 6/8).