New York to tout official city condom

[Guest]

Thought this was pretty funny....and pretty interesting....

NEW YORK (AP) -- Available soon: an official New York City condom.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration wants to reduce rates of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS, and part of the strategy is the aggressive promotion of free condoms. Officials say more people will use them if they have jazzy packaging.

One idea is a subway theme, with maps on the wrappers.

"Brands work, and people use branded items more than they use nonbranded items, whether it's a cola or a medicine even," Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said.

New York hands out 1.5 million free condoms each month, or about 18 million a year. Hundreds of organizations get free condoms from the city and distribute them at health clinics, bars, restaurants, nail salons, nightclubs and even prisons.

Widespread free distribution started after Frieden became health commissioner in 2002 and found that the city's STD clinics were limiting each patient to just a small number.

"I thought that was nuts -- of all the people you'd like to have an unlimited supply of condoms, it's people who have an STD," Frieden said. "Condoms work; they're just not where they need to be as often as they need to be."

There is even a bowl of condoms outside Frieden's office.

More than 100,000 New Yorkers are living with HIV and AIDS. AIDS remains the third-leading cause of death among New Yorkers under 65.

The number of condoms distributed by the city multiplied several times over after the health department launched its online ordering system in 2005.

Individuals cannot order, but any organization or venue can request unlimited free condoms.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

credit to www.cnn.com

Edited January 26, 2007 by 66Alpha1

[helicopper 1,050]

Thought this was pretty funny....

credit to www.cnn.com

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They give out 18 million condoms a year? Wow, that's a lot of naked stories in the naked city!!!

They even distribute them to prisons?!?! Ouch!

[210 91]

Hope the don't start free needle distribution.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Its a little late for the no free needle idea:

The New York offers both a free needle exchange and a free needle program to prevent the spread of AIDs, HIV, Hep, other blood bourne diseases and other nasty creatures that im sure no one wants

But the free condoms are a good idea if the city wants to lower the AIDs rate in the city

According to http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ah/ah.shtml

"New York City remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. More than 100,000 New Yorkers are living with HIV, but thousands don’t know they’re infected. New York City has the highest AIDS case rate in the country, with more AIDS cases than Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Washington DC combined. HIV is the 3rd leading cause of death below age 65 in New York City. HIV is also the health problem with the largest racial disparity; 80% of new AIDS diagnoses and deaths are among African Americans and Hispanics. Prevention, testing, and treatment programs are being expanded, but more must be done."

Edited January 26, 2007 by bvfdjc316