Health Disparities

I Stand With Magic

"Today, I stand with millions of Americans whose lives have been touched by HIV/AIDS. Every day, we stand strong for our families, friends and others who are infected. We are joined by millions more around the world who are, and will continue to be, impacted by this devastating epidemic."
—Earvin "Magic" Johnson

On World AIDS Day 2006, Abbott and the Magic Johnson Foundation launched the national "I Stand With Magic Program: part of Campaign to End Black AIDS," an education initiative designed to help reduce new HIV infections in the African-American community by 50 percent over five years. Diagnosed with HIV over 16 years ago, Johnson partnered with Abbott to share his story of hope and survival. Both organizations have committed to fighting HIV/AIDS by providing communities with information and resources for prevention and testing, educational materials to share with family and friends, and a way to join together to make a difference.

The "I Stand With Magic Program: Part of the Campaign to End Black AIDS" has provided free HIV/AIDS testing to over 21,000Americans in more than 20 cities with large African-American populations since the program began. In addition, the campaign has educated nearly 200,000 people—more than double last year’s number—and has enrolled nearly 8,000 people through the campaign Web site, www.istandwithmagic.com.

"Truly the first, and arguably the most critical, step is to get tested," says Magic Johnson. "There are many free HIV testing resources available, but we must face the fact that the strongest barrier to getting testing is often our own fears. What we should be more afraid of is being HIV positive and not knowing it. Getting tested and staying for the results is the only way we can treat the infection and stop its spread throughout our community."

The campaign's emphasis is on African-American and other minority communities where new HIV infections are on the rise. Half of all new HIV infections in the United States are among African-Americans, who represent only 13 percent of the overall population. AIDS disproportionately affects African-American women, with a diagnosis rate 23 times that of Caucasian women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

The program addresses awareness, prevention and successful treatment of HIV/AIDS in the African-American and other minority communities, and encourages African-Americans of all ages to fight HIV/AIDS by getting tested, obtaining test results and seeking treatment, if necessary.The initiative began with a series of HIV testing events in major U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York, where HIV rates are continually on the rise in the African-American community.

Recent program highlights include:

• In December 2007, Cookie Johnson embarked on a nationwide tour to get women to start talking about HIV.
• Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Spike Lee, working with Abbott’s virology team, directed Magic and Cookie Johnson in two public service announcements to raise awareness of AIDS/HIV prevention and testing. The ads are due to air in the summer of 2008.

For more information, visit www.istandwithmagic.com.

Triglyceride Education: The Good, the Bad and the Forgotten Fat

As part of our commitment to supporting education around key health issues, during National Cholesterol Awareness Month in the United States in September, Abbott supported the non-profit National Lipid Association (NLA), an organization dedicated to professional education, and Sister to Sister, a national organization with a focus on women and heart disease, to raise awareness around triglycerides, "the forgotten fat," and their link to heart disease risk.

In a national survey of more than 2,000 patients and 500 doctors, NLA found that many patients are completely unaware of the cardiovascular risks associated with unhealthy levels of triglycerides (National Lipid Association). The vast majority of physicians felt that their patients did not understand triglycerides and the risks high levels may pose to heart health.

While it is often discussed that high levels of LDL, or the "bad" cholesterol, increase risk of heart disease, nearly nine out of 10 doctors surveyed by NLA agreed that elevated triglycerides are an independent risk factor for heart disease.

Sister to Sister launched a national campaign to provide women with the latest information about lipid health. The Good, the Bad and the Forgotten Fat campaign focused beyond LDL and HDL, the "good" cholesterol, to help women understand the need to control their triglycerides.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in American women, killing more than 10 times as many women annually as breast cancer (American Heart Organization). As part of the campaign, Sister to Sister hosted health fairs and heart health screenings across the country, distributed a public service announcement nationally and launched an educational Web site – www.forgottenfat.com.

Making Medicines and Technologies Available