HUD Partners With Community to Fight AIDS

Audience listens to Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates.

Las Vegas FACT (Fighting Aids in the Community Today) established in 1990 is comprised of local elected officials, executives, professionals, and concerned citizens. The main focus is an AIDS awareness program that focuses on all aspects of educating the community of reducing the risk of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS. FACT service providers offer minority citizens of Las Vegas the finest care assistance. FACT held its groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, July 3, 2003 for its 60,000 square foot facility, an addition to the currently operating Enterprise Health Care and Dental Center, located on Martin Luther King Boulevard and Wheeler Park Street, within the West Las Vegas community. FACT is working in collaboration with Clark County Government and the State of Nevada.

One of the goals of the organization is to eliminate the negative stigma associated with HIV testing. FACT believes that through education, the community will understand the importance of HIV testing and early detection. The Las Vegas FACT offers free and confidential HIV counseling and testing. It promotes the increased social acceptability of free and confidential HIV testing, with specific emphasis in the West Las Vegas neighborhood. FACT also refers people who are infected and affected by HIV disease to care services.

U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD) Community Development Grant Funds (CDBG) in the amount of almost $6.5M were contributed to make this addition possible. Clark County Government is providing $597,323.00 and the City of North Las Vegas is contributing $43,180.