“People are afraid of people who have it [HIV]…They treat them different. And people that have it try to hide it. They do that so people won’t talk about them and reject them from society.”
-New Haven Resident
GETTING TO ZERO BACKGROUND
The Connecticut Getting to Zero (G2Z) initiative was created to respond to the alarming trends in the HIV epidemic, with emphasis on the growing incidence of HIV in MSM (men having sex with men) of color, Black women, and transgender women in urban centers where the epidemic is most concentrated; Hartford, Waterbury, Bridgeport, New Haven, and Stamford.
The goal of G2Z is for all people living with HIV (PLWH) to be diagnosed, receive medical care, and achieve viral suppression through HIV medication. PLWH who are virally suppressed remain healthy longer and are unlikely to spread the virus. Public health researchers estimate that at least 90% of all PLWH need to be virally suppressed to eliminate the HIV epidemic.
THE G2Z OBJECTIVES ARE:
500
New HIV Cases
520
HIV Related Deaths
540
Stigma & Discrimination