National HIV Testing Day is this Friday, and the Texas Department of State Health Services is hosting an HIV/STD Conference later this summer in Austin. The city of Houston is partnering with AIDS Foundation Houston to test 15,000 Houstonians for HIV this summer. About 27,000 Houstonians are HIV positive, and thousands more are believed to be positive but unaware.
On this edition of Houston Matters, we examine the latest efforts in Houston's medical community to improve HIV testing and treatment, and learn about resources available for Houston's HIV/AIDS community.
Also this hour: According to a report from the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, roughly 330,000 Houstonians are functionally illiterate. Sixty percent of Houston’s kids lack requisite reading-readiness skills upon entering kindergarten. Only 20 percent of third graders performed at an advanced level on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading exam. Since September of last year, the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation has been trying to change those numbers. We learn what they’ve accomplished thus far.
And, we continue our summer reading series, as we talk with author Debra Winegarten. She specializes in writing books for middle school readers. Her latest book is Oveta Culp Hobby: Colonel, Cabinet Member, Philanthropist.
