Prevention Division
The Blocks Project (Blocks)
Funded by a generous “seed grant” from The M-A-C AIDS Fund, Blocks is an innovative, community-based, HIV prevention initiative. Its goal is to dramatically reduce HIV infection and HIV health disparities in Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods of Central and East Harlem.
Blocks targets discrete, square block areas for HIV testing and connection to medical care However, Blocks also provides services to address underlying socioeconomic needs that lead to risky sexual behavior and transmission of the AIDS virus.
Blocks takes a geographic-based approach to HIV prevention. It focuses on individuals living in high-risk neighborhoods (as identified by epidemiological data), rather than on the customary approach focusing on population categories which may frequently engage in high, HIV-risk behavior (e.g., injecting drug use, men who have sex with men).
