Hip-Hop legends Doug E. Fresh and Queen Latifah have partnered with the NBA, HBO, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Global Business Coalition of HIV/AIDS (GBC) to create new HIV/AIDS public service announcements (PSAs) that will premiere this month on major networks.
Doug E. Fresh created the music for the PSAs, which discuss the importance of getting tested for HIV/AIDS and are being released to coincide with National HIV Testing Day, which takes place on June 27.
Queen Latifah and Jamie Foxx star in the PSAs along with Lamar Odom and Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers; Samuel Dalembert and Kyle Korver of the Philadelphia 76ers; and Richard Jefferson and Marcus Williams of the New Jersey Nets.
“Through relationships with organizations like the GBC, the NBA, our teams and players are to build on our commitment to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS, here at home and around the world,” said NBA Senior Vice President Kathy Behrens.
Viewers are directed to www. testing411.org, a website where users can find out about testing options and search for local HIV testing centers.
The PSA’s will also be shown on MTV and BET, as well as in arenas during NBA games throughout the 2007-2008 regular season.
“Having Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah, and NBA players talking about HIV testing helps to present testing as a more routine part of care, as recommended by the CDC,” said Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman. “HIV testing provides an opportunity to receive counseling about risks, and early knowledge of HIV status helps link people to care.”
Internationally, the PSA will be distributed to more than 60 countries throughout the world.
“HIV is on the rise in the U.S. as it is around the world. Knowing your status is essential to bringing infection rates down and increasing access to life-saving medications,” said GBC President and CEO Richard Holbrooke. “We are honored to join with member companies NBA and HBO as well as the Kaiser Family Foundation on this important campaign, which builds crucial momentum for GBC’s larger Test America initiative.”
In the US, more the one million people are living with HIV/AIDS. The CDC estimates that one in four people do not know they are infected.
