Following on a campaign promise when he was a senator running for the presidency, President Barack Obama announced on Aug 21 the launch of the National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions, a series of nationwide events hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) to allow active public participation in the formation of a national HIV/AIDS strategy.

Senator Obama getting tested for HIV

"If elected, during my first year in office, I will develop and implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies," Obama said during the campaign when interviewed by the Washington Blade, a gay and lesbian weekly newspaper in Washington, D.C.
The first community discussion took place on Aug 25 during the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia.

In a statement to the conference, Obama said, "HIV remains a serious challenge to the American people, and I am committed to developing an effective National HIV/AIDS Strategy. The National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions will provide an opportunity for members of the public to give their input on how we can best address this crucial issue. With the insights from communities across the country, we will have a strategy that is focused on the goals of reducing HIV incidence, getting people living with HIV/AIDS into care and improving health outcomes, and reducing HIV-related health disparities."

In the coming months, future discussions are scheduled for Washington, DC; New York City; San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, California; Houston; Albuquerque; Jackson, Missouri; Fort Lauderdale; Minneapolis; Columbia, South Carolina; Puerto Rico; and the Virgin Islands.