Damien Center to commemorate World AIDS Day and assess the state of HIV

World AIDS Day is Monday, Dec. 1. The Damien Center will commemorate the day by honoring the memory of people who died of AIDS and celebrate survivors at several events in Indianapolis next week.

This year, the Trump administration and Indiana cut funding for grants, critical health care and research. But the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still ongoing.

Almost 40,000 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with the virus in 2023, according data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State data shows 7,700 Hoosiers were living with HIV and more than 6,500 people with AIDS the same year.

In 2019 Indianapolis was targeted as an HIV hotspot because of its high number of new infections.

"We have all the science, all the technology and the tools needed to stop the spread of H-I-V in our country, and, really, around the world. And yet here we are reducing funding." said Alan Witchey, the CEO of the Damien Center in Indianapolis. It provides supportive services — including health care — and aims to end the epidemic in Central Indiana.
 

The events will be the first the nonprofit will hold for World AIDS Day at its new Mosaic campus, which opened in June on Indianapolis’s east side.

The Damien Center will host a candlelight remembrance ceremony at 10:30 a.m on Dec. 1. Staff and HIV survivors will share stories about the early epidemic, progress made, and how people can honor those who have died from AIDS. Sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will also be displayed.

At noon, the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law will host an online discussion about HIV criminalization in the US with the HIV Modernization Project will host an online discussion about HIV criminalization. The Institute previously issued a report analyzing Indiana’s six HIV criminalization laws and found that they were based on outdated science.

Then Friday, Dec. 5, the Damien Center will host several events on the state of HIV starting at 5:30 p.m. at Cafe Oztara. These include a fireside chat, an awards ceremony for service, and will conclude with a reception. The reception will include art therapy activities, food, and networking opportunities.

The HIV Modernization Project will also be present.

Contact WFYI reporter Zak Cassel at zcassel@wfyi.org.