In a message dated 8/11/2004 11:01:52 AM Eastern Standard Time,
Chicagoheteros@yahoogroups.com writes:
What we, as a community, need to do is devise a way for people to be
informed about the importance of testing and protection.
Unfortunately this method must A: Be something that people will not
just ignore (like PSA's) B: Be accessible to a majority of the
citizens (if not all) and C: Not scare the public into a frenzy that
breeds fear, panic, prejudice or hatred.
As a very pro-active HIV+ person, I've gone beyond the PSA's in my time since
testing poz in Sept of 1989. I've done news articles, TV stories, law
inforcement training films, spoke to the police academy, schools and even
medical
community employees through the local health department.

I was surprised at who was the least responsive as far as knowledge. Yep,
the medical community. People learn more once someone in their immediate circle
tests poz.

The test is available anonymously at most health departments. But, they
don't do much in the way of putting the word out. It's just not there.
Articles
in the media are put on page 6 and then it's a blurb at the bottom. HIV
articles don't sell many McDonald's hamburgers.

Panic, fear, prejudice? Thank the media again for that one. Biased beyond
belief. It's still a gay disease to them.

I'm getting ready to go out and pound the pavement again for prevention. I
did a lot of it in the 90's and got AIDSout. But, a recent telephone
conversation with my nurse at the Cincinnati Infectious Disease Clinic really
made me
realize we are basically starting over. She said they are so busy with new
patients that it is unbelievable. It's the 80's all over again.

One of our biggest barriers is putting ourselves out there for all the world
to see. It's not the easiest gig in the world. But some of us still do it.

Here's another interesting thing to chew on. One of the biggest issues
facing our nation today is the illegal alien issue. Today, I was told many of
the
new patients are Hispanic, don't speak a word of English and usually show with
PCP or TB. Now, let's look at this. We give them a driver's license, we
give them health care, but we never test them.


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