Columbia Medical Center, NY
Friday December 4, 2009 (6pm-8.30pm)
Written by Roxanne Lord
Acclaimed actress Rosie Perez was the moderator for The White House National discussion about HIV& AIDS. This discussion, held at Columbia Medical Center and hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), offer the public a chance to provide input as the White House works to fulfill the President’s pledge to develop a National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).
With more than 56,000 new HIV infections occurring in the United States each year, the President believes that we must re-focus national attention on the domestic epidemic. He has articulated three goals for the NHAS: reducing HIV incidence, increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes, and reducing HIV-related health disparities. The national HIV/AIDS community discussions are just one mechanism for engaging the American people and obtaining input. The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) will also provide input, and public comments submitted to the ONAP website will also be taken into consideration.
Ms. Perez, actress and human rights activist, has been busy working with children and teenagers as well as older people to make a difference wherever she goes. Remembered in the films; Do The Right Thing as well as White Men Can't Jump, Perez has built a solid reputation for herself as First Lady Latina in films and community service.
Last night, Rosie represented the White House and President Obama's pledge to develop and implement a comprehensive National AIDS Strategedy, focusing on reducing HIV incidence, increasing access to care in addition to reducing health disparities. Many brave voices came together for this HIV discussion held in New York. Here are some of the stories and comments by New Yorkers of different ages and race and ethnicities, many of whom are infected with the disease and many of whom are in a gay relationship or participate in substance abuse. Many are homeless, many are Latino, African-American and White people. Many spoke about incarceration.
*Need for more media campaigns, targeting immigrants, more community based organizations funding, more testing especially for women.
*Socrates from the Bronx.. Better prevention, better discharge planning for people coming home from prison to the Bronx, lack of housing, mental health services, substance abuse services, education and prevention for the previously incarcerated.
*HIV education in the schools; community centers, talk about it more, especially to people with mental health issues.
*HIV and people over 50. Aids and aging, more awareness of this group as well as more focused treatment and recovery.
*Good evening Dr Obama....... primary care, mental care, more service and hospitals, more specialists needed in Long Island.
*HIV testing as a routine part of medical care. Call for First Lady and President to take the HIV test in public in America as they did in Africa.
*Care and service for transgender women and men living with HIV and AIDS.
*Mobile clinics for HIV are not coming consistently to the communities. Mobile clinics help the community and those who don't have access to healthcare.
*Rapid HIV test will allow people taking the test to know in about 20- 40 minutes.
*Shelters are no place for people that are HIV positive.
*Mandatory or involuntary testing at routine visits.
*They should test people more than once in jail.
*Latino boys can jump. I wanna talk about substance abuse.Too many brothers are getting locked up. This is not a second chance society. My dad was an addict. Substance abuse should be decriminalized. Elder parents who are users have children who are users. America, America why do you incarcerate so much.
* Youth coming through the shelter, these are no places for them. Make shelters for all people, races, gender, age and White people too. More dialogue on racism, include more White people in this dialogue.
*Need special department to strategically educate the young generation in high schools.
*From a pastor: If you spend the money we will get better, spend more money on HIV counselling, housing and awareness, media campaign.
*From a lawyer: Lift some of the legal restrictions and disclosures to be better able to help HIV infected people with housing and other much needed services.
* More research needed on alternative medicine for the disease that will strenthen immune system, reishi mushroom a good start as a possible cure.
*Strategic emergency housing especially in Albany is needed. Shelters are no good, people are not checked
for even TB there. I want to leave you with something that Plato said, "We can all understand when a child is afraid of the dark, but we cannot understand when a man is afraid of the light!"
What do you think?
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