Las Vegas AIDS clinic to focus on at-risk African-Americans

A new Las Vegas HIV/AIDS clinic set to open in December will focus its efforts on prevention and treatment of at-risk African-Americans in the city, a group that is representing a larger proportion of HIV-positive people in Nevada and around the country, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. The free clinic will offer free HIV antibody testing, counseling, referral services, a food bank, and prevention outreach services specifically targeting both gay and straight African-Americans. The clinic, funded with state and federal money, will be housed in the Enterprise Health Care and Dental Center in West Las Vegas. "Right now the HIV education focus [in Las Vegas] is really on the gay bars," said Lydia Harris, executive director of Fighting AIDS in the Community Today, the organization that will run the clinic. "We're looking to focus more on community spots and areas where African-Americans tend to congregate, like barbershops, hairdressers, and their clubs." According to Clark County Health officials, African-Americans make up about 9% of the Las Vegas area's population, but account for nearly one-quarter of all HIV/AIDS patients. About 4,600 people in the region are living with HIV/AIDS.