PBS: Why the Southern US is the AIDS Crisis Epicenter

Stories like this reminds me about why I do what I do professionally. HIV is a subject that few people wanna talk about. And I feel that when you do, people either think it's "political", doesn't affect them, doesn't matter, or it's rather glibly 'whatever'.

This really hit me hard since I've heard it so many times;
"RUSSELL MARTIN: I got routine checks until I got into a relationship. And it was once I was in a relationship, I didn’t do it."

There are a lot of Russells out there, in every community. HIV is real among gay, bisexual and transgendered black men of all ages and social statuses.

We are ALL at high risk of contracting HIV. ALL of us. Know it and get tested regularly, regardless of whether or not you're in a secure relationship. It's important. Get connected with a medical professional who cares about you. Ask questions, including about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). And talk about it with dude(s) you're sleeping with.

The first step in fixing the problem is to become educated. @Rico you've done a tremendous service to the cause. Cheers!

Y'all know where to find me if you have questions.

 

Thanks, Rico, for posting this. I've long since given up on the on-the-one-hand, on-the-other-hand News Hour.

Right off the bat one thing stands out. At the end, Gwen Ifiill says that the News Hour will look at New York next, the state with more HIV+ people than any other in the US. That is an important point. New York also has the greatest cumulative numbers of people who have ever had HIV - including those who have died from AIDS. This is significant because it means that states like NY, or California or other states that were early epicenters of the epidemic have more resources from the federal government to support HIV related programs than states in the southeast, because the funding formulas for distributing federal funds in many cases count those who are no longer living. For instance the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program tilts heavily to these older centers. With fewer federal dollars to begin with, a state like Georgia, even assuming it wanted to set up a good HOPWA program would find itself at a disadvantage in getting the funds. Changing funding formulas to reflect new realities is difficult because it means robbing Peter to pay Paul. And, of course, the advocacy community for people living with HIV in NY is far older, more powerful, less stigmatized in NY than it is in Atlanta.

I worked professionally on federal HIV policy for over 25 years. I have lobbied Senators and Members of Congress on HIV programs and policy. I can tell you that it was rare to be able to get a meeting with a Senator or Member directly on HIV in any of the southern states on the map in the report - other than Florida. Generally, we were shunted to the most junior of staff. As a former Congressional staff person I know when staff is just checking the box.

Public health is one of the true tragedies of our federal system. Does it make sense that a person in NY is going to get better HIV services simply because she or he lives in NY, as compared to Georgia?

 

Fascinating. You'll need to tell me more about your travels in policy at some point, since I'm interested.

No, it doesn't make sense that people in NY get better HIV health services. But it's more than that-people in NYS get better health services period. Medicaid is more generous here. I have a patient who is essentially living here to take care of health issues, and she's from Georgia. She didn't qualify there, but she does here. And if she had HIV or was at high risk for HIV, she'd get less support in Georgia. NYS has a plan (well hope) to "end AIDS" by 2020. The governor is on board. This doesn't exist really in Georgia, which is unfortunate.

 

I recently have mostly stayed with CNN, BBC, and (yeah I have to know what they are saying)Faux News, But when I did stray out of those I read this.

kudos to you and everyone who responded in this thread.