NBA, Walgreens, Major Media, Among Those Who Declare “We Are Greater Than AIDS” on World AIDS Day

New Commitments Respond to AIDS in America, Including:

• NBA/WNBA Tips Off Campaign to Mobilize Fans & Fight Stigma

• Walgreens Recognizes those Making a Difference; HIV/AIDS Informational Resources to be Distributed in More than 700 Health Centers Nationwide

• PSAs Featuring those Living with HIV and Loved Ones Debut on Network TV, Join Growing Roster of Media Commitments

• New Partnerships Reach Higher-Risk, Men Who Have Sex With Men

• State/Local Health Departments, AIDS Organizations Lead Community Responses

On the eve of World AIDS Day (December 1st), Greater Than AIDS, a national movement supported by a broad coalition of public and private sector partners, announced significant new commitments in response to the AIDS crisis in America with a focus on those most affected by the disease.  New commitments from the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Walgreens are added to those made by leading media, state and local health departments, community organizations, among others to increase knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS and confront the stigma that surrounds the disease.

“From the largest digital billboard in Times Square to the hardwood courts of the NBA and the WNBA, Greater Than AIDS partners are showing new leadership in stemming the spread of HIV,” said Drew Altman, President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which provides strategic guidance and day-to-day management for Greater Than AIDS.  He added, “This is an unprecedented collaboration of private and public sector partners united in response to a public health challenge.”

Phill Wilson, President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, co-founding Greater Than AIDS partner, commented, “Nearly 30 years since the first case of HIV was diagnosed, stigma remains a major barrier to prevention and treatment.  Greater Than AIDS is about bringing us together as a community in a unified response.”  On December 1st in Los Angeles, the Black AIDS Institute will host its 10th annual Heroes in the Struggle gala themed this year around Greater Than AIDS.

Among the announcements from Greater Than AIDS today:

• NBA PARTNERSHIP:  The NBA is joining Greater Than AIDS to mobilize NBA fans and local communities in response to AIDS in the United States and reduce the stigma associated with the disease.  The campaign builds on the league’s longstanding tradition of supporting social causes, including global HIV/AIDS, as part of NBA Cares.

The campaign includes new television and radio public service ads (PSAs) featuring NBA/WNBA players, including Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers), Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx), whose father, former professional baseball player Alan Wiggins, died of AIDS in 1991. The PSAs, which debut across NBA media assets and other Greater Than AIDS media platforms this month, direct to a custom web portal for resources and more information at: http://www.greaterthan.org/nba

In addition, Greater Than AIDS is working with NBA teams across the league to initiate targeted activations, community events, and special “Greater Than AIDS” in-arena nights to bring attention to HIV/AIDS in priority markets, tipping off with a World AIDS Day game in Boston, where the Celtics will host the Portland Trailblazers.  Additional team activations are scheduled in December and January.

“Joining with the Greater Than AIDS campaign underscores the NBA family’s longstanding commitment to address important social issues related to health and wellness,” said NBA Community Relations Vice President Todd Jacobson.  “The league supports the fight against HIV/AIDS year-round in a variety of ways, including bringing awareness programs to youth from more than 100 countries and territories around the world, and we look forward to continuing these efforts around World AIDS Day.”

• WALGREENS PARTNERSHIP:  Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain with more than 7,500 drugstores, is teaming up with Greater Than AIDS to distribute HIV/AIDS informational resources and specialized HIV-related services at select Walgreens pharmacies in heavily affected communities.  In partnership with Greater Than AIDS, participating Walgreens pharmacies will distribute jointly-branded informational materials and offer in-store promotions — including HIV screenings — over the next year.  In June 2011 Walgreens will team up with Greater Than AIDS to support “HIV Take Action” Month with special promotions.

“We’re excited to partner with Greater Than AIDS to place more attention on the domestic AIDS crisis and slow the spread of this disease,” said Kermit Crawford, Walgreens president of pharmacy services.  “At more than 200 locations around the country, our pharmacists are specially trained to care for patients with HIV.  These locations also will play a large role in our effort with Greater Than AIDS to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.”

The Walgreens/Greater Than AIDS partnership kicks off with a World AIDS Day promotion at the Walgreens drugstore at One Times Square in New York City, including HIV messaging on the store’s digital billboard — the nation’s largest — that rises 341 feet above midtown Manhattan.  At other times throughout the year, Walgreens’ digital billboards in Times Square and Las Vegas will post photos submitted by every day Americans that celebrate personal “deciding moments” in response to HIV/AIDS.  Today, more than 200 Walgreens drugstores across America are debuting new signage and informational materials that carry a Greater Than AIDS message that will run throughout the month.  All products encourage customers to learn more about HIV and ways they can be Greater than AIDS at: http://www.greaterthan.org/walgreens

• MAJOR MEDIA PARTNERS UNITE IN SUPPORT OF AIDS:  Today, Greater Than AIDS adds several major television partners — including FOX, CBS and NBC — to its growing roster of print, radio, outdoor, and online media partners.  Since the campaign’s launch in 2009, an unprecedented coalition of media have joined together to support Greater Than AIDS.  More  than 10,000 outdoor postings have been provided by CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor and BlueLine Media in 30 priority markets, and more than 11,000 radio PSAs airings (amounting to approximately 80 hours of airtime) have been placed by American Urban Radio Networks, CBS Radio, Clear Channel Urban and Gospel Radio, and Radio One stations.  Leading monthlies, including EBONY, ESSENCE, HIV Plus, Uptown and Vibe, as well as the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), provide ongoing visibility to the campaign in the form of PSA placements and editorial coverage.  To coincide with World AIDS Day, all five magazine partners are running full-page Greater Than AIDS PSAs and NNPA, also known as the Black Press of America, will highlight a Greater Than AIDS message on the mast head and in a letter from the editor in its newspapers throughout the week.

The addition of television partners provides a powerful new platform to reinforce campaign messages and mobilize communities. The campaign’s new TV PSAs complement an extensive outdoor, print and radio campaign that features individuals — including several who are living with the disease — sharing personal “Deciding Moments” that capture everyday opportunities to take a stand against HIV — to be “greater than” the disease.  Since the campaign launched in September, thousands of Americans have been inspired to share their own “Deciding Moments” on the campaign’s website: http://www.greaterthan.org/decidingmoments.

• MSM-FOCUSED MESSAGING:  Greater Than AIDS announced today a targeted initiative to reach men who have sex with men (MSM), who represent more than half of all new HIV infections each year.  Here Media — which owns and operates The Advocate, OUT, and HIV Plus magazines, here! TV, the world’s leading premium gay television network, and the popular social networking portal gay.com have joined Greater Than AIDS to help message to MSM about HIV/AIDS.  Here Media has announced a major new commitment of contributed advertising and editorial content to reach gay and bisexual men with HIV information and resources.  Early next year, the company will launch a new web portal that provides targeted content from Greater Than AIDS and the Here Media brands.

• STATE/LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS:  Greater Than AIDS is working with state and local departments of health and community foundations to expand the reach of the campaign in hard hit areas, including through joint events and special promotions.  Health departments in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia have integrated Greater Than AIDS into statewide HIV/AIDS outreach efforts.  Local health departments and community organizations in Chicago, Dallas, and Detroit — and in other markets across the country — are also working on targeted Greater Than AIDS efforts.

Across the country, dozens of major community organizations are incorporating Greater Than AIDS into their World AIDS Day activities.  Some examples include:  Howard University, University of Miami and University of Florida are hosting Greater Than AIDS events on campus with speakers from the “Deciding Moments” campaign and outreach materials to promote HIV testing.  Houses of worship are also hosting testing events and delivering HIV awareness sermons, including Greater Than AIDS outreach materials in church bulletins and interfaith memorial gatherings in Raleigh, North Carolina and Philadelphia. MetroTeenAIDS, a major provider of HIV services in Washington, D.C., is using Greater Than AIDS materials for giveaways at their “Party for Prevention.”  These local outreach efforts — and dozens more across America — reach audiences with face to face interventions, deepening the impact of the media messaging.

About Greater Than AIDS

Greater Than AIDS is an unprecedented collaboration among a broad coalition of public and private sector partners united in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States, in particular among Black Americans and other disproportionately affected groups.  Through a national media campaign and targeted community outreach, Greater Than AIDS aims to increase knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS and confront the stigma surrounding the disease.  http://www.greaterthan.org

The Kaiser Family Foundation — a leader in health policy and communications — provides strategic direction and day-to-day management, as well as oversees the production of the media campaign.  The Black AIDS Institute — a think tank exclusively focused on AIDS in Black America — provides leadership and expert guidance and directs community engagement.  Greater Than AIDS is developed in support of Act Against AIDS, an effort by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to refocus attention on the domestic epidemic.  Additional, financial and substantive support is provided by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Ford Foundation and MAC AIDS Fund, among others.