We aim to educate, motivate, inspire, support and advocate the Metro-Atlanta Gay community impacted by HIV. We aim to normalize & authenticate the Atlanta gay experience through community-based engagement, activation & mobilization. We believe in promoting awareness and affirmation with the over-arching goal of gay men obtaining positive health outcomes.
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area (Atlanta MSA) is a 28-county jurisdiction located in the north and northwest region of the state of Georgia. Widely known as the home of the growing central city of Atlanta, the Atlanta MSA continues to struggle with inner city issues within the confines of a largely rural state. Among the struggles that loom large is the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS.
Ranked 5th among the top 12 Metropolitan Statistical Areas for cumulative AIDS cases in 2009, the Atlanta MSA bares a disproportionate burden of the state of Georgia’s HIV/AIDS morbidity. More specifically, approximately two thirds of all newly diagnosed cases in Georgia can be found within the Atlanta MSA. Fulton and DeKalb counties alone account for over 50% of newly infected cases.
The Georgia Department of Public Health (Georgia DPH) recognizes the importance of allocating and leveraging resources based on need.
To this end, the Impulse Group Atlanta will focus on the following 5 counties that collectively account for 60% of the state’s total HIV/AIDS morbidity; Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb-Douglas, Clayton and Gwinnett counties respectively. Efforts to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Atlanta MSA must take into consideration a confluence of factors including the current demographic make-up of the jurisdiction, socio-economic trends, existing services and related structural and environmental factors that impact the efficacy of HIV services and related outcomes.