The National Conference on Latinos and AIDS begins Monday, September 14, at the New York Academy of Medicine. This marks the first time the conference is being held in the Empire State.

“We need a comprehensive campaign that allows for tailoring to the many cultures within the Latino community,” says conference director K. Mary Hess. “New York is the perfect example of a bellwether city, where trends and needs often emerge ahead of the curve for the rest of the country.”

The two-day conference—organized by Minority Health Care Communications—unites health care experts from across the country to discuss HIV incidence and management, guidelines and clinical methods, current research regarding drug abuse and its link to HIV/AIDS, social and psychiatric concerns of people living with HIV, policy initiatives, and trends and political issues affecting the Latino HIV/AIDS community.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latinos account for 19 percent of overall HIV cases but make up just 15.3 percent of the population.