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One in three new HIV cases in
Tennessee is from Shelby County, though it accounts for just 15 percent of the
state’s population. An overwhelming proportion of the cases are young black
men, according to information presented Wednesday evening at a town hall
meeting that attracted about 100 people.
“Anywhere you have a culture of
judgment and sexual shaming, the HIV rates are high,” said panelist Marvell
Terry, founder of the Red Door Foundation and organizer of the event, which was
held at Methodist University Hospital.
Many people with HIV in Memphis also
struggle with poverty, hunger, and homelessness, said panelist Leisha
McKinley-Beach of the Mid-South AIDS Fund. “We’re never going to end the
epidemic just looking at the disease without looking at the entire person,” she
said.
The five panelists and audience
members discussed ways to improve HIV services and overcome testing and
treatment barriers such as poverty, stigma, and fear. One area of great need is
streamlining the process of moving from diagnosis to retention in comprehensive
care.
“I didn’t get into care for two
years after being diagnosed,” Terry said. “Stigma trapped me from getting into
proper treatment. It took friends, like some of the people that are in this
room tonight, to get me there.”
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.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
