STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Southern University is inviting health professionals from across the Southeast to its campus this fall for a training conference focused on HIV and AIDS in rural areas.

University officials said Wednesday the one-day conference will be held Sept. 14 in Statesboro. Georgia Southern is partnering with the Southeast AIDS Training and Education Center to host the event.

The agenda includes topics such as mental health and drug abuse issues faced by people with HIV and AIDS as well as intervention strategies and ethical debates.

Georgia ranks sixth among U.S. states with the highest number of HIV and AIDS cases, with more than 40,300 Georgians living with the virus in 2010.

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