Post by CHC Member, Becca M.
Over a span of 25 years (1981-2006), 25 million people died of AIDS across that world. In the United States alone there are 1.2 million people living with HIV, of which 1 in 5 don’t know that they are infected. This pressing topic was the focus of our latest CHC in-service in which we learned and discussed the issues of HIV/AIDS.
Every CHC in-service has been a wonderful opportunity to learn about important issues or skills that will keep the group at the edge of what is going on in the public health spectra and this week was no exception. The day began with a presentation by Jane Hereth, the Coordinator of Support Services at the Chicago Women’s AIDS Project. She explained what HIV is and how it spreads. She then focused on the issues of treatment and support and what her organization does to try to eliminate some of these barriers for women. The day and learning continued with an introduction to HIV prevention and outreach within the MSM community in Chicago by Jeff Gloftelty the manager of outreach services at Howard Brown.
The discussion continued throughout the afternoon with members sharing their own experiences with HIV. We then viewed the powerful 1989 documentary, “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt” that is a collection of profiles of people touched by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, as they create the quilt squares to honor their loved ones in the AIDS Memorial Quilt. This intense film discussed the stigmatism of AIDS and the neglect of the United States government to do anything about the epidemic in the beginning. The day wrapped up with the unwrapping of the female condom. This CHC event, planned and executed by CHC members, was a wonderful opportunity that shared important information with all of its members.
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