Featured

More AIDS Outreach Needed Among African Americans

Published

10 years ago

February 11, 2014

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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Related Topics:AIDS Awareness HIV/AIDS Outreach prevention

Up Next

Valentine’s Day Rally for Families of Murder Victims

Don't Miss

Tuskegee Airmen Honored with Highway Renaming

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Community

Rest in Peace: A.M.E. Pastor and L.A Civil Rights Icon Cecil “Chip” Murray Passes

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94. “Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Published

4 mins ago

April 18, 2024

Oakland Post

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture.

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94.

“Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Murray oversaw the growth of FAME’s congregation from 250 members to 18,000.

“My heart is with the First AME congregation and community today as we reflect on a legacy that changed this city forever,” Bass continued.

Murray served as Senior Minister at FAME, the oldest Black congregation in the city, for 27 years. During that time, various dignitaries visited and he built strong relationships with political and civic leaders in the city and across the state, as well as a number of Hollywood figures. Several national political leaders also visited with Murray and his congregation at FAME, including Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Murray, a Florida native and U.S. Air Force vet, attended Florida A&M University, where he majored in history, worked on the school newspaper and pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He later attended Claremont School of Theology in Los Angeles County, where he earned his doctorate in Divinity.

Murray is survived by his son Drew. His wife Bernadine, who was a committed member of the A.M.E. church and the daughter of his childhood pastor, died in 2013.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Juanita Matthews

Sister Juanita Matthews

55 Years with Oakland Public School District

The Teacher, Mother, Community Outreach Champion, And Child of God

Juanita Matthews, better known as “Sister Teacher,” is a walking Bible scholar. She moved to California from the great state of Arkansas in 1971. Sister Teacher has a passion for teaching. She has been a member of Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church since 1971. She followed her passion for teaching, and in 1977 became the lead teacher for Adult Class #6. Her motto still today is “Once My Student, Always My Student”.

Beyond her remarkable love for the Lord, Sister Teacher has showcased her love for teaching by working for the Oakland Unified School District for 55 years, all but four of those years spent at Emerson Elementary and Child Development School. She truly cares about her students, making sure they have the tools/supplies needed to learn either at OUSD or Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church.

She’s also had a “Clothes Closet Ministry” for 51 years, making sure her students have sufficient clothing for school. The Clothes Closet Ministry extends past her students, she has been clothing the community for over 50 years as well. She loves the Lord and is a servant on a mission. She is a loving mother to two beautiful children, Sandra and Andre. This is the impact this woman of God has on her church and the community.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Vivian Coit, 98

Vivian Coit, a proud Dallas, Texas native made her way to the great state of California in 1943. She was a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother.

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Vivian Coit

Celebrating A Life Well Lived

Sept. 15, 1925 ~ March 30, 2024

Vivian Coit, a proud Dallas, Texas native made her way to the great state of California in 1943. She was a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother.

In her 98 years, she had various jobs – San Francisco Naval Shipyard, elevator operator, housekeeping, a salesclerk, and supervisor for the United States Postal Service. After 27 years of service with the United States Postal Service, she retired with numerous commendations. She was a lifetime member of the National Council of Negro Women. and a devoted member of the Washington/Lincoln Alumni Association of Dallas, Texas.

On April 20 at 10:00 a.m., a life well-lived will be celebrated at Beebe Memorial Cathedral CME Church, 3900 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA under the leadership of Rev. Antoine Shyne.