Nonetheless, an abdication of leadership can make any matter more complicated than it needs to be. So blame goes to Governor Deal. The same can be said of other health agencies. I couldn’t help but read into this statistic and think of The New York Times’ 2013 report about poor Black and Latino men who have sex with men becoming the face of HIV/AIDS partially due to there being a lack of model on how to reach these men about preventive measures.
There has to be a will to fight HIV/AIDS for all people. This is evidence that needs to be done in the way of meeting that goal.
Even so, Dr. Hankin-Wei’s interview with Atlanta’s 90.1. FM does suggest the role of personal responsibility and lingering stigmas about HIV/AIDS in our communities play a significant part. There are at least 50 places you can get tested in the Atlanta area, and as Dr. Hankin-Wei explains, “Despite that, there are patients who aren’t going to get those tests. And they aren’t going for a decade.”
I am not shifting the onus on the newly diagnosed; only that we — myself included, as I’ve written openly about my initial introduction to the disease giving way to unnecessary paranoia — to educate each other and be better about awareness. To remove stigmas. To push ourselves to be smarter, safer, and self-aware.
The likes of Governor Deal ought to be doing more, and arguably, more than most, but we still have to play our part. This is a solvable issue. It should have never gotten to this point. Now’s the time to make sure it does not worsen.
Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem, and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him @youngsinick.
Article Appeared @http://newsone.com/3101774/atlantas-hiv-aids-stats-patients/