COMMUNITY HIV/AIDS/HEPATITIS ISSUES
As the only AIDS
service provider in southwestern New
Hampshire,
we provide case management for the region's HIV+ clients.
Beyond
this commitment, ASMR has adopted the daunting task of informing and
educating resident youth, men and women about HIV/AIDS. It is
critical to understand that the AIDS pandemic is changing.
There
is an illusion that new medication and treatment for HIV/AIDS has
decreased the need for services. Exactly the opposite is
true.
AIDS clients are now faced with improved treatment that
allows
them to live longer. The impact on ASMR translates into
multi-layered, increased case management needs with a diverse group of
clients, including injection drug users who are court-ordered from out
of the area to attend the drug rehab programs of Phoenix House (located
in Dublin and Keene).
As AIDS diagnoses have leveled off nationwide, HIV infection continues to rise.
In 2007, the annual number of newly diagnosed HIV infections in the United
States - that is, the virus that causes AIDS - grew to 63,000, a 53% increase
over previous statistics. Half
of
those new diagnoses will occur in youth between ages 14-25.
Gay
youth are particularly at risk in NH, since there is little in the way
of support for people who are gay and, in particular, youth who
question their sexual orientation. Thus, this high-risk group
leaves the area for more urban centers where they feel accepted and,
unfortunately, this atmosphere often leads to increased drug use that
breaks down inhibitions and creates the opportunity for unsafe sexual
encounters. In particular, the surge in use of the drug
crystal
meth among young gay men causes behavior linked to new,
treatment-resistant strains of HIV, gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Among young gay men, syphilis is making a comeback and a source of
grave concern. This high-risk population has no context about
the
last 25 years of the AIDS pandemic, and is misled by their age and the
media's portrayal of AIDS as a chronic condition treatable by
medication. They also have disposable income that makes it
easy
for rural gay youth to travel to metropolitan areas where incidence is
higher. A new strain of HIV which is not only
treatment-resistant
but leads to rapid development of full-blown AIDS is being seen in
urban centers and alarms public health officials.
It is critical to understand that the AIDS pandemic is changing.
There is an illusion that new medication and treatment for
HIV/AIDS has decreased the need for services. Exactly the
opposite is true. AIDS clients are now faced with improved
treatment that allows them to live longer. The impact on ASMR
translates into multi-layered, increased case management needs with a
diverse group of clients, including injection drug users who are
court-ordered from out of the area to attend the drug rehab programs of
Phoenix House (located in Dublin and Keene).
Inflammation and HIV
