Posted: May 1, 2003 at 9:18 p.m.
BAY AREA (KRON) -- On Thursday morning, the battle against AIDS got a major financial boost. The house passed a $15 billion bill to help in the worldwide fight against AIDS. It's a bill supported by President Bush. Locally, the battle is being fought on two fronts, prevention and testing.
Despite billions of dollars in funding for millions of victims, some people are still in denial about HIV infection and the spread of AIDS. Not in some third world country, but rather, in this country on city streets. So the San Francisco health department held a town hall meeting to take the message right to the people.
Despite millions of deaths, and millions more infected, denial of HIV is leading to devastating consequences in communities of color.
"We don't have a choice but to begin to react as a crisis in this nation right now," James Loyce, San Francisco health department deputy director says.
Director James Loyce says community town hall meetings such as one on Thursday night at Glide Methodist Church act as a beacon for the those who don't or won't find the facts about the risks of AIDS infection.
Dr. Susan Buchbinder of the San Francisco health department says, "Communities of color are less likely to get tested than people who are more... already have access to healthcare."
"The problem is wrapped in a long history of distrust. Fallout from deceptions such as the Tuskeegee experiment still linger in communities of color. And there is fear too. Many people don't want to draw their blood for an AIDS test.
In Alameda, a decade of work has led doctors at Calypte Biomedical to designed a urine-based AIDS test. Chief medical officer Toby Gottfried says potential subjects facing blood issues prefer the new technology.
"The number of people who actually volunteered to test for HIV increased because they had the option of providing a urine specimen," Gottfried says.
Calypte recently hired former basketball star Magic Johnson to their board. Infected in the early '90s, the hope is Johnson's success on the hardwood will translate to success in leading minority communities to regular AIDS testing.
"We need them desperately to be part of asking the questions - so, part of the research design - and then part of the answering the questions by actually testing the vaccines." Dr. Buchbinder says.
The health department hopes to have a town hall meeting like Thursday night's every three months.
(Copyright 2003, KRON 4. All rights reserved.)
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