Featured
More AIDS Outreach Needed Among African Americans
By Michael A. LeNoir, M.D., president, National Medical Association
Dr. Anthony Jones has been an AIDS Specialist for over 15 years. During that time he has become more and more discouraged as he watched the AIDS epidemic in the San Francisco Bay Area become increasingly more of a problem for the African American Community.
“We’re really at a crossroads with HIV in the Black community,” laments Dr. Jones. “We have the knowledge in the tools to dramatically impact the spread of HIV and extremely effective medications that can fully suppress the virus. People can have a normal life expectancy. But a lack of understanding about perceived risk, lack of access to care, fear and stigma are some of the greatest barriers to improving outcomes among my patients with HIV disease.”
The statistics support Jones’s perception of the disease. HIV has disproportionately affected Black Americans since the beginning of the epidemic and this disparity continues. Today there are more than 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, including more than 510,004 Black Americans. Although Black Americans represent only 4 percent of US population, they accounted for 44 percent of the new HIV infections the 2010, an estimated 44 percent of the people living with HIV.
The rate of new HIV infections was nearly eight times that of whites and more than twice that of Latinos in 2010. The rate for Black men was the highest of any group, more than twice that of Latino men.
African American communities continue to experience higher rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared with other racial/ethnic communities in the United States. Having an STI can significantly increase the chance of getting or transmitting HIV. The AIDs epidemic has had its most significant impact on Black women.
Black women have the third highest rate overall and the highest rate of HIV infection among women. Black women account for the largest share of new HIV infections and the incidence rate is 20 times the rate among white women.
Dr. Jones like other experts believes that more needs to be done to reach out to the African-American community: especially young gay black men. He believes, as do most physicians and experts in the field treating AIDS, that outreach efforts have decreased significantly since the pattern of infection has increasingly involved the African-American community.
More than 25 percent of Blacks, ages 18 to 64 have never been tested for HIV. About one in five Blacks living with HIV does not know they are infected. Diagnosis late in the course of HIV infection is common, which results in missed opportunities to get early medical care and prevent transmission to others. The National Medical Association, and its physician membership, is committed to changing the conversation around HIV within the Black community.
As African Americans, we must do more to reduce the impact that this disease has on our community. The message must be that while treatment options have improved the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS, we still need to be diligent with safe sex, regular testing and aggressive treatment when a diagnosis is made.
HIV prevention projects for community-based organizations to provide effective HIV prevention services to gay, bisexual, and transgender youth of color and their partners must be expanded. Support and technical assistance to health departments and community-based organizations to deliver effective prevention interventions for African Americans should be encouraged.
Our community working together must create an environment where living comfortably with AIDs is better any alternative.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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