Senate Resolution No. 1890

BY: Senator THOMAS

        MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
        June  27,  2019,  as HIV Testing Day in the State of
        New York, in  conjunction  with  the  observance  of
        National HIV Testing Day

  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  custom  of this Legislative Body to recognize
official days that are set aside to increase awareness of serious public
health issues that affect the lives of the residents of New York  State;
and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is moved to  memorialize
Governor  Andrew  M. Cuomo to proclaim June 27, 2019, as HIV Testing Day
in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National
HIV Testing Day; and

  WHEREAS, National HIV Testing Day is an annual campaign to encourage
people of all ages to "Take the Test, Take Control"; and

  WHEREAS, In the United States, nearly 1.1 million people are  living
with HIV, and almost one in seven do not know they are infected; and

  WHEREAS,  National  HIV  Testing Day presents an annual reminder for
people nationwide to learn their HIV status, and to gain  the  knowledge
they need to take control of their health and their lives; and

  WHEREAS,  National  HIV  Testing  Day  also  provides  an invaluable
opportunity to dispel the myths and stigma associated with HIV  testing,
and  to  reach  those  who have never been tested or who have engaged in
high-risk behavior since their last test; and

  WHEREAS, Since the mid-1990s, the number of people who are diagnosed
with HIV each year  has  remained  relatively  stable  at  about  50,000
infections   per   year;  however,  certain  groups,  including  African
Americans, Latinos, and gay and bisexual men of  all  races/ethnicities,
continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV; and

  WHEREAS,  Of  particular  concern is the significant increase in new
infections among young gay and bisexual men; nationally, between 2010 to
2016, young men ages 13-24 had a 22 percent increase in new  infections,
and  young  black  men  in  that  group  now  account  for  more new HIV
infections than any other subgroup by race/ethnicity, age,  and  gender;
and

  WHEREAS,  New  York  State leads the nation in the number of new HIV
cases, with more than 2,100 new diagnoses in 2017; and

  WHEREAS, As of 2012, approximately 129,000 people are diagnosed with
HIV/AIDS in New York State; almost 80 percent live in New York City; and

  WHEREAS, 77 percent of people living with HIV in New York  are  over
40  years  old, and 42 percent of positive New Yorkers are over 50 years
old; and


  WHEREAS,   To   date,  over  125,000  New  Yorkers  have  died  from
AIDS-related causes,  yet  nearly  20  percent  do  not  know  they  are
infected; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is  crucial that days such as National HIV Testing Day
are observed in order to continue to raise awareness and eventually halt
the spread of HIV/AIDS in communities throughout the State of New  York,
the  United  States of America, and around the world; now, therefore, be
it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize  Governor  Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 27, 2019, as HIV
Testing Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance
of National HIV Testing Day; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to  The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York.