Palmetto Community Care was one of several local partners that joined Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg for the signing of the Paris Declaration on Fast-Track Cities to end the HIV epidemic and achieve the 90-90-90 HIV treatment targets by 2030 in Charleston and its surrounding areas.
Tecklenburg was joined by representatives from the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Tri-County Sexual Health Awareness, (STI) Prevention & Education Initiative, Fetter Health Care Network, Medical University of South Carolina, Palmetto Community Care and Roper St. Francis Healthcare. Staff member Michael Luciano represented PCC at the signing on June 27, also National HIV Testing Awareness Day.
The Paris Declaration calls on cities to strengthen their local HIV/AIDS responses and meet a set of targets to significantly reduce new HIV transmissions and end AIDS-related deaths.
These 90-90-90- targets are:
- Ensure that at least 90% of people living with HIV know their status
- Improve access to antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV to 90%
- Increase to 90% the proportion of people living with HIV on antiretroviral treatment who achieve an undetectable viral load”
The Fast-Track Cities Initiative also specifically calls for increased utilization of the full spectrum of HIV prevention services, and the elimination of the negative impact of stigma and discrimination on those living with, and at-risk for, HIV.
According to the SC HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Profile, Charleston County has consistently ranked among South Carolina counties with the highest reported numbers of people living with HIV, along with Richland, Florence, Sumter, Greenville, Horry and Spartanburg.
The Fast-Track Cities is a global partnership between the City of Paris, International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), in collaboration with local, national, regional, and international partners and stakeholders
The initiative was launched on World AIDS Day 2014 in Paris, where mayors from 27 cities in over 50 countries convened to sign the Paris Declaration on Fast-Track Cities a (Paris Declaration) committing to accelerate and scale-up their local AIDS responses. Additional cities have subsequently signed the Paris Declaration. Learn more about the Fast-Track Cities Initiative at http://www.fast-trackcities.org.
