Multiple Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-nominated actress and dedicated AIDS activist Gloria Reuben will join Pamela W. Barnes, President and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, on a three-day tour of the Foundation’s key sites in South Africa this August.

From August 13-16, Reuben and Barnes will tour locations in and around Johannesburg, South Africa, including the Alexandra University Clinic in Alexandra Township and the George Mukhari Hospital in Pretoria.  Both sites have been instrumental in implementing the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs and services in and around the Johannesburg region.  The visit will bring Reuben and Barnes into contact with PMTCT clinic staff, peer educators and patients who receive support, counseling and prevention and care services from the clinic and hospital.  

“I am ecstatic to have the chance to visit sites where the Foundation is doing such essential and important work,” says Reuben, who recently reprised the role of Jeanie Boulet on television’s hit show ER.  “With more than 1,100 children a day being infected with HIV, the research, care and treatment done at these facilities literally performs a life-saving function for the people of South Africa.”

The four-day journey will also kick off Reuben’s role as a Celebrity Spokesperson with the Foundation’s Speakers Bureau, which seeks to raise awareness about the continuing HIV/AIDS pandemic and the important work of the Foundation in combating this ongoing health crisis. Through her work as a Celebrity Spokesperson, Reuben, who recently completed filming on TNT’s new series Raising the Bar, will not only raise awareness, but will also be able to witness first-hand the results of her efforts on behalf of the Foundation.

“We are thrilled that Ms. Reuben has decided to accompany us on a tour of our South African sites as a member of our Speakers Bureau,” says Foundation CEO and President Pamela W. Barnes.  “It is deeply gratifying to be able to accompany one of our most ardent supporters as she experiences the direct results of her dedication to raising awareness about the urgency of the HIV/AIDS crisis and the importance of the work being done to prevent the transmission of the virus from mothers to their children.”

For more information on the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Gloria Reuben’s involvement, please visit www.pedaids.org.