HIV/AIDS in Georgia – How we have failed and will continue to fail

This is a not something new. We have know for years that HIV/AIDS was becoming a real threat for rural, female, African-American and poor people.

This is not all the fault of the state (but plenty of blame does reside there). The CDC has never really EVER had a HIV prevention plan in place. When the [...]

National Minority AIDS Council Call to Action- New HIV rates

There website is here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Circe J. Gray Le Compte, Director of Communications
National Minority AIDS Council, 1931 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone: (202) 234-5120 ext. 309; (202) 352-7240
E-mail: communications@nmac.org
“And all the centuries passed and they survived and became a kind of people that the world had never known. [...]

It took countless deaths, but Georgia finally gets a Mental Health Ombudsman

While on the face of it it is a good sign that Georgia is finally doing something to address this horrible issue, it is outrageous that it takes people dying, a federal investigation and a investigative piece from the AJC to make this happen.
Having an ombudsmen and advocates for the most helpless of our residents [...]

1000 Georgians died last year due to lack of health care

There are a couple of issues here.
Issue one- The Georgia Legislature should be ashamed of themselves for their actions on this issue. In the face of Georgians not having access to health care they pushed a bill that gives tax breaks which really will benefit insurance companies who offer worthless high deductible policies that do [...]

State Health Director Stuart Brown to “retire”

Well, they used up another one. You don’t retire that fast…..he was pushed out I bet.
Why is it that DHR continues to switch out major management every 2-3 years in this state? Because changing out Directors fools most of the people of this state into thinking that something is happening. All that B.J. Walker [...]

Dr. Tom (Sen. Coburn) strikes again to block PEPFAR in his continuing “War on people with HIV”

This is the guy who rammed through all the changes in the Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization bill a couple of years ago when the Republicans were in control. Those changes included taking HIV treatment dollars and spending them on HIV testing and micromanaging the HIV strategies of states and cities. He now is [...]

CDC struggles with trying to view HIV issues through the lenses of conservative politics

This is yet another example of how the leadership at CDC has been replaced and hamstrung by conservative political appointees who either deny the issues, ignore them or subvert information to keep from having to address the issue of gay men of color and HIV. It is almost like the view from the Reagan years [...]

Unnatural Causes – it not just your genes or lack of access

Started March 27 but they are repeating the first episode this coming Wednesday and GPB will air it every Thursday for 6 more weeks.  Website for the film is here.
Healthy behaviors, molecular research, and of course, universal health care are all important. But evidence suggests they [...]

HIV and STI outreach efforts still not working

 The rise of syphilis in gay men prove that we are not reaching the core population and do not have the “stomach” as a nation to address something we are afraid of or disapprove.

Public health struggles to reach gay ‘hidden population’
Experts say CDC must look for gay men outside of bars, bathhouses
By RYAN LEE
Mar. 21, [...]

Meth issues in Georgia

Good article from the Macon paper. Not sure how “accurate” that comment is by the DHR guy. In rural south Georgia there is nothing but a handful of private options. This is a growing issue driving HIV rates across the country.

Addicts quitting meth face severe withdrawals, few treatment options
By Tim Sturrock
For months, the guilt, shame [...]

Online dating for people with STD’s

Wow, this is interesting. One site list over 500 women with Herpes in Georgia between the age of 20 to 50.
CNN) — When John got divorced after 12 years of marriage, he took a deep breath and launched into the dating scene.
“And wham, with my very first girlfriend, I caught herpes,” he says. “You [...]