Conference Alerts Public to Rise in 50+ HIV & STD Infections

Conference Alerts Public to Rise in 50+ HIV & STD Infections

(June 2009) To commemorate National HIV Testing Day, the getavision project of Metropolitan Community Charities is sponsoring a conference on issues pertaining to HIV/AIDS in the elder population at Triangle Square, Hollywood's premiere the Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing complex.

With a record number of new infections rising in the population of those aged 50 and over, the general public and the medical and social services communities are urged to attend this landmark discussion featuring some of the most prominent medical doctors in HIV/AIDS research, treatment and geriatric care in the country.

The keynote speaker will be HIV/AIDS specialist and researcher, Dr. Tony Mills. Dr. Mills is a Los Angeles-based physician and leading clinician in the fields of men’s health and HIV disease. He serves as the primary care provide for 1500 patients including over 700 living with HIV. Dr. Mill’s has served on the national board of the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) and continues to be an active member.

Dr. Mills is an experienced clinical investigator with extensive research experience. He has been a principal investigator on over 50 trials dealing with many aspects of HIV disease between 2000 and 2008. His office is actively engaged in clinical research with over a dozen clinical trials currently ongoing. Dr. Mills has been recognized by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the California legislature for his outstanding contributions to the community.

As we mark the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the 28th year since the beginning of the HIV epidemic and fourteen years after the advent of combination therapy, we continue to see a rise in the number of HIV infections among older adults aged 50 and above. This conference will speak to this troubling and growing phenomenon to address the issues that have for so long gone unnoticed.

In 2005, the CDC reports that those aged 50 and above accounted for 15% of all new HIV/AIDS diagnosis. In 2006 the proportion of those over 50 infected with HIV/AIDS rose to 25%, an 8% increase from 2001. We as a society owe it to our seniors to respond to this fast growing and troubling epidemic.

The "Still Sexy..." L.A. Conference is a community conference for medical professionals, allied health care and community service providers throughout the greater Los Angeles area to start the much needed dialogue with those over 50 about sex, HIV/AIDS, STD prevention, treatment and testing.