To reach African Americans with HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment messages, the church must be involved in your community efforts. Here are some strategies for mobilizing this support:
- Identify the influential black churches in your area and target the pastors first. Do not broach AIDS initiatives with any other group in the church unless you have discussed it with the pastor first.
- Highlight AIDS statistics in your region and provide opportunities for ways the church can get the word out about prevention and treatment.
- Don't shy away from using biblical references and references to "God" and "Jesus" in a healing context. Although this may be uncomfortable for healthcare communicators to incorporate in AIDS literature, it is critical to developing compelling messages, says Julia Walker of The Balm In Gilead.
- Make your HIV/AIDS messages culturally relevant, particularly for heterosexuals, teenagers and women. Keep in mind, however, that most churches will not feel comfortable distributing condoms.
Source: HPRMN/The Balm in Gilead