In a report released by Dr. Felix Pena, the medical director for HIV patients at the 20-30 Club Health Center in Santo Domingo, 15% of people who live in the settlements surrounding the sugar mills (called “bateyes” in the DR) are testing positive for the HIV virus. Bateyes residents are primarily of Haitian origin, as these were the slums built to house the Haitian sugar workers. The report echoes the estimated 2.6% of the general adult population with HIV+ status. These numbers place the Dominican Republic in third place, behind Haiti and the Bahamas, in the list of countries in the western hemisphere with the highest HIV+ rates. Pena was speaking at a ceremony celebrating the inauguration of the larger and improved facilities of the Health Center sponsored by the 20-30 Active Foundation. Representatives from USAID, the Ministry of Public Health and the Armed Forces attended the gala.