HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Program

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) (2013), research has shown that many young people between the ages of 13-29 are not concerned about becoming infected with HIV/AIDS and many of them do not know their HIV status. The CDC (2013) found that 39% of all new HIV infections affected young people between the ages of 13-29. Contraceptive Technology Update (2013) found that studies have shown that the greater the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) contracted during the teenaged years, the greater the risk of acquiring HIV. Due to the increasing numbers of HIV infections among young people within this age group, more HIV education and screening should be implemented in the inner city of Houston, TX. An HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Program in this city would be targeted to young people between the ages of 13-29. The three main goals of this program would be health promotion and reduction of illness by educating our youth on HIV/AIDS; secondly, attracting and screening approximately 10,000 young people in the city of Houston for HIV/AIDS, and thirdly, making referrals for treatment to those who are found to be HIV positive. According to Blais and Hayes (2011), “nurses practice health promotion through education of clients and their families and through community education programs” (p.119). Bradley-Springer, Stevens and Webb (2010), found that educating young people about HIV/AIDS, testing, transmission, and prevention should be considered an important component of young adults’ health care. By screening our youth through this program, early detection of HIV/AIDS would allow early treatment of the disease.

In order to implement this HIV/AIDS prevention program, planning and collaboration must occu...

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