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An HIV/AIDS program at the Southwest Community Center in Syracuse is boosting its outreach to at-risk black and Hispanic young people. H. Bernard Alex, director of the FACES program, said a lethal mix of sexual promiscuity, drug and alcohol use, and a poor economy may be driving a spike in new HIV cases among young men. In the past four months, nine cases have been diagnosed in men who have sex with men. All the cases are younger than 25, and they are disproportionately black and Hispanic. Onondaga County typically sees nine cases among males in this age group in an entire year.
Alex, who is also the pastor of Victory Temple Fellowship Church, said there is a direct correlation between abuse of drugs/alcohol and STDs. Some young people in need of money have resorted to transactional sex, he said. "If a person says, 'I will give you $10 if I don't have to use a condom, they are saying, 'OK,'" he said. "It is tearing apart our community."
"What's happening in the communities of color is a lack of personal responsibility," said Alex. "Our young people have grown up hearing about HIV and AIDS, but they still don't think it's going to happen to them."
FACES specializes in providing HIV education, counseling, case management, and testing services to minorities. HIV testing is available at the Southwest Community Center, 410 South Ave., from 1 to 5 p.m. on the third Wednesday and third Friday of every month.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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