New numbers show that HIV/AIDS is at an epidemic in our community. No matter the age 17 - 70 the number of new infections increases every year. At this point, I’m not sure what we should say or do. There are television commercials advertising PreP for prevention and treatment drugs that keep the disease from spreading. None of this seems to matter to the general public, because the number of new infections continues to increase every year. As always with most health challenges the African American community is negatively impacted with significant numbers of new cases. Dr. Maisha Standifer from the Satcher Health Leadership Institute joins us to discuss this challenge.
I asked Standifer to tell us about the Satcher Health Leadership Institute whose mission is to bring health equity to our country. She speaks about advancing health equity by educating the next generation of healthcare professionals, engaging in the community, and advocating to governmental agencies and leaders.
While the treatment for HIV has advanced by leaps and bounds patients are still living with a chronic disease. I asked Standifer to share what it is like living with HIV today. I asked if the fight to prevent the spread of HIV was over as it appears that people refuse to make any changes in their sexual life to prevent the spread. She speaks about the need for “culturally competent healthcare.” Standifer speaks about the strong stigma around sexually transmitted diseases and sexual health.
I asked Standifer about the challenges in our community around knowledge of HIV Prevention and preventative drugs. PrEP helps to decrease the spread of HIV. Once you have been diagnosed with HIV new drugs prevent the spread of the disease. With these tools, you’d think our numbers would decrease. Standifer speaks about mental health and life challenges that often lead humans to participate in unsafe sexual behavior.
For more information on the Satcher Health Leadership Institute
For more information on HIV Prevention
For more information about Living with HIV