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WHEREAS, in 2012, City Council approved legislation to create the Pittsburgh HIV / AIDS Commission with the express purposes of fostering better communication between healthcare service providers and individuals at risk for or living with HIV / AIDS and creating a collaborative space for community, business, academic and governmental leaders to address the needs and goals of better HIV / AIDS prevention, education, and treatment; and
WHEREAS, since then, the Pittsburgh HIV / AIDS Commission has worked to provide policy guidance and recommendations to the City's leadership and health community to better achieve those goals; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, Pittsburgh City Council pledged its partnership and support to the goals of the AIDS Free Pittsburgh initiative to achieve an AIDS Free Allegheny County and to reduce the rate of new HIV infections by 75% by the year 2020; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that more than 1.2 million people are living with HIV, yet approximately 14 percent are unaware of their status as such; and
WHEREAS, according to 2015 Pennsylvania Department of Health's Annual HIV Surveillance Summary Report, as of December 31, 2015, there were 2,830 individuals in Allegheny County living with HIV, with approximately 150 new cases HIV / AIDS reported each year; and
WHEREAS, nearly 74 percent of individuals living with HIV / AIDS in Southwestern Pennsylvania live in Allegheny County, with approximately 20 percent of those in Allegheny County unaware of their status; and
WHEREAS, according to Pennsylvania Act 148, known as the Confidentiality of HIV-Related Information Act, a healthcare or social service provider can't share individuals' results when tested for HIV, allowing individuals who test positive for HIV to better maintain their medical privacy; and
WHEREAS, it is critical that individuals at risk of or living with HIV / AIDS but unaware of their status are presented with every opportunity ...
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