​​The need for culturally competent and language-appropriate HIV CTR and prevention education services is especially critical for the minority communities in Northern Virginia.  This is especially true for Latinos and African-Americans and men who have sex with men (MSM).  The Latino population is large and steadily growing in Northern Virginia.  Latinos make up over 16 percent of the population in Northern Virginia.  Arlington is now the center of the largest Bolivian community in North America. This large and diverse group is high-risk, underserved, and suffers from disenfranchisement, cultural and linguistic barriers to receiving services, denial and other sociological manifestations that nurture high rates of HIV infection and health related problems.

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In 2010, Latinos made up an overwhelming 26.4 percent (Virginia Dept. of Health Epidemiological data) of newly diagnosed HIV disease in Northern Virginia; putting Latinos second only to blacks.  Men who have sex with men (MSM) were the most common mode of transmission at 34 percent (Virginia Dept. of Health Epidemiological data) of the newly diagnosed HIV disease among Latinos in Northern Virginia in 2010.  African Americans and Latinos share common mode of transmission which is men who have sex with men (MSM).