Outreach and Health Promotion Campaigns
Project WAVE New York
Program Description
Project WAVE was founded in Houston in 1999 by Ernest Jackson Jr., a career radio station veteran. The Project was created to focus attention on HIV prevention and the importance of knowing one's HIV status. In June 2001, Project WAVE New York was founded as a partnership between local radio stations, HIV/AIDS services providers, the New York State Department of Health and local departments of health.
Project WAVE coordinates the efforts of multiple organizations to reach people in communities of color to raise awareness about the importance of knowing one’s HIV status and about the availability of HIV counseling, testing and partner notification assistance services. Project WAVE New York is currently operational in the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and the Albany/Capital region.
Project WAVE partners include radio stations that expand awareness about HIV and STDs through promotion at community events and member agencies that participate in these events providing HIV education, counseling and testing and in many cases screening for STDs. Project WAVE utilizes incentives such as gas cards, grocery cards, concert, movie tickets and radio station tee-shirts to reach out to historically underserved communities of color, disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Messages about the importance of knowing one’s HIV status broadcasted by popular radio personalities, coupled with the incentives, have encouraged thousands of people to learn their HIV status. Project WAVE focuses on the target population by providing HIV/AIDS education and voluntary HIV counseling and testing events at popular local venues, including concert events, cultural arts festivals, and health expos. All providers of HIV/AIDS services, particularly those providing HIV prevention, counseling and testing; local health departments; and radio and television stations serving communities of color are encouraged to become Project WAVE New York partners.
Since the inception of Project WAVE New York in 2001, over 15,000 New York State residents have been tested for HIV and more than 200,000 HIV/AIDS education contacts have been made. Community-based organizations serve an important function of the Project WAVE coalition as they are located in, and directly serve individuals in the target population. They provide outreach and education to the target population on HIV/AIDS issues and STDs; provide HIV counseling and testing; and referral to other needed services. Radio stations that are minority owned and/or operated or primarily serve the target population are essential for conducting outreach into the community. They provide airing of public service announcements (PSAs) about the importance of knowing one’s HIV status; advertise upcoming HIV testing events, including dates, times and locations; and provide radio station tee-shirts as incentives for pre and/or post-test counseling and testing.
In collaboration with Emmy award-winning filmmaker, Mustapha Khan, producer of the AIDS documentary, House on Fire, Project WAVE New York developed a series of radio and television PSAs promoting the importance of knowing one’s HIV status by getting tested. The PSAs target communities of color including the African American and Hispanic communities, women, and youth. The PSAs list the statewide HIV/AIDS hotline number and the SIDA (Spanish language) hotline number and feature popular music artists including Alicia Keys, Patti LaBelle, Mya, Stephanie Mills, LL Cool J and Snoop Dogg.
The goal of Project WAVE New York is to facilitate collaboration with and between existing organizations and services in areas and ethnic communities hardest hit by HIV/AIDS in New York State. Project WAVE New York continues to work toward increasing awareness of one’s HIV status and STD screening among disproportionately affected individuals and communities of color through media publicity, outreach and education and access to voluntary HIV counseling and testing.
Contact:
Peter A. Laqueur
Division of HIV Prevention
(212) 417-4755
pal09@health.state.ny.us