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AIDS Awareness
With Michael Cover
of the Whitman-Walker Clinic
Friday, Nov. 30, 2001
Michael Cover is the associate executive director for public affairs at the Whitman-Walker Clinic, a nonprofit community-based health organization in Washington. Whitman-Walker also is committed to ending the suffering of all those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Cover has been with the clinic for nearly three years. He has worked in public policy and communications in Washington for 17 years. He is also HIV-positive.
The transcript follows.
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washingtonpost.com:
Thanks for joining us today, Michael Cover. Can you give us an overview of the state of AIDS in the Washington area?
Michael Cover: The HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Washington area is one of the most significant epidemics in the nation. The Department of Health estimates that about 20,000 adults are living with HIV today. If national estimates hold true, then up to a third of them don't know they are positive.
The epidemic is overwhelmingly in the the African American community, with about 79% of those living with HIV. White adults make up about 15%, Latino/as make up about 5% of the epidemic, and Asian/Pacific Islanders at about 1%.
Dupont:
How effective is government aid at combating the spread of AIDS? Are the best solutions from government or from groups like yours?
Michael Cover: The best solutions are those combine the efforts of the givernment, community-based organizations and individuals in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Whitman-Walker is proud to partner with the City's HIV/AIDS Administration and other organizations in this fight.
In recent years, however, the national focus of attention has shifted toward treatment and away from prevention. Those at risk don’t perceive the severity of HIV and there is a lack of recognition of severe toxicity and quality of life issues when it comes to treatment.
Americans need to understand that prevention – a change in behavior – will always be critical. No strategy (vaccine, condom use, STD treatment, microbicides) will be 100% effective unless we adopt and maintain safer behaviors.
DC:
I have heard that as AIDS rates go down, more people feel "safe" and stop protecting themselves as much. Is this true?
Michael Cover: There is evidence that this may be true. The AIDS rate is dropping as a result of drug therapies, and that may be leading people to believe that they do not needm to worry about AIDS anymore. We must continually put out messages of prevention because the bottom line is that HIV prevention saves lives.
All Americans must commit to prevention…individual, community, and society. We must not only address prevention strategies for those uninfected, but provide prevention information for HIV+ individuals as well.
First and foremost, we need to get Americans into testing so that they know their HIV status and can take the appropriate steps to stay HIV-negative, or to get into treatment and prevent transmission if they are HIV-positive.
Rockville, MD:
What is your opinion of current sex education curriculum in the DC area, and do you feel this has an influence on the rate of HIV infections in our area?
Michael Cover: I am not aware of the specific sex education curricula at area schools, and believe that they vary from district to district. But, we must be talking to young people as early as parents believe it is appropriate to do so, to ensure that they do not put themselves at risk of HIV infection. These conversations should take place at home, as well as in the schools. Finally, I believe that education of our young people about HIV prevention does influence the rate of HIV transmission. Estimates are that 2 young people are becoming infected every hour of every day. We need to be doing much more to prevent this.
Today, high schools students from the DC are will be coming to Whitman-Walker Clinic to learn more about HIV transmission, talk with people who are living with HIV and, most important, learn how to remain HIV-negative.
Manassas, VA:
I would like to know if anything is being done to educate our young gay youth about safe sex in same gender relationships? My thoughts are that even today, too much emphasis is placed on straight sex education in high schools.
Michael Cover: Again, I cannot speak to the specific education that is going on in our area schools. But, we need to be talking about HIV prevention in all available forums, espeically with populations at high risk of infection.
In the United States, HIV-related illness and death have historically had a tremendous impact on men who have sex with men.(MSMs). MSMs continue to account for the largest number of people reported with AIDS each year. Overall, the number of MSMs of all races and ethnicities who are living with AIDS has increased steadily, partly as a result of the 1993 expanded AIDS case definition and, more recently, improved survival attributed to new medications.
Two studies found approximately 4 in 10 people with HIV were first tested and diagnosed late in infection. Studies of HIV+ MSMs found few receiving adequate HIV prevention counseling.
There is abundant evidence showing a need to sustain prevention efforts for each generation of young gay and bisexual men. We cannot assume that the positive attitudinal and behavioral change seen among older men applies to younger men. In a sample of MSMs 15-22 years old in seven urban areas, research shows that 7% were already infected with HIV, a disproportionate number of whom are African American or Latino.
In 32 states with confidential HIV reporting, data show that substantial numbers of MSMs are still being infected. In 1999 46% of reported HIV diagnoses among adolescent males aged 13-19 and 51% of cases among men 20-24 were attributed to male-to-male sexual contact.
Finally, research suggests that some young MSMs are less concerned about becoming infected and are more inclined to take risks.
We must reach out to young MSMs to prevent these statistics from climbing even higher.
DC:
How have the Sept. 11 attacks affected the HIV/AIDS community?
Michael Cover: The attacks of September 11th continue to reverberate in ways we never predicted. People living with HIV and working to end this epidemic are seeing more mental health counselors. For the month right after the attacks, HIV testing at Whitman-Walker Clinic dropped by 25%, although it is climbing back up again to pre-Sept. 11th rates. And, we have had to cut our budget at the Clinic by $1.3 Million to make up for losses in direct mail, an $800,000 shortfall in AIDS Walk, and anticipated losses in the annual CFC/United Way campaign. These are just a few of the ways that we have been affected.
Bethesda, MD:
Michael, are there any sexual education curriculum in place in the public school systems of the District, or in the surrounding suburban communities which addresses safe sex in Male/Male sexual encounters, and female/female encounters?
Laurel Coppock, Bethesda MD
Real Estate Broker & Mother of four
Michael Cover: You would have to check with local school districts to find out how comprehensive their curricula are. But, I belive that HIV prevention and education must recognize and address the ways HIV is transmitted.
College Park, MD:
Can you evaluate the role of education in combating global HIV/AIDS? Not AIDS education, per se, but traditional classroom education. And do you feel the U.S. is adequately aware, or focused on, education's role in against HIV/AIDS?
Michael Cover: I'm not sure exactly what you are asking for when you ask me to evaluate the role of education in combatting global HIV/AIDS. But, I'll give it a shot.
Certainly, HIV education must be culturally appropriate, and must be approached in ways that allow people to hear the message and change their behavior. Recent studies indicate that Americans are more educated than ever in general about HIV/AIDS, both natiionally, and internationally. However, we must be more successful in getting them to change their behavior, and to recognize the critical role HIV prevention and education plays in the fight against this epidemic.
Classroom education may be one component of HIV prevention education, but true education and behavior change happens when people are approached in ways that help them understand their role in prevention, and help them change their own behavior.
According to the recent UNAIDS study released this week, there are 40 Million people worldwide who are living with HIV/AIDS, 5 Million of whom were infected in 2001.
Nationally, the CDC has a strategic plan to decrease by at least 50% (by 2005) the number of persons at high risk in the US for acquiring or transmitting HIV infection. We at Whitman-Walker are pledged to work with them and with our own local HIV/AIDS Administration in teh DC Department of Health, and health officials in Virginia and Maryland, to accomplish this goal.
DC:
Does drug use still contribute to the rate of HIV infection?
Michael Cover: Substance use plays a very significant role in the transmission of HIV. For example, in a recent study conducted jointly by the DC Dept. of Health/HIV AIDS Administration and Whitman-Walker Clinic, 66 percent of respondents said that they had sex while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the previous 12 months, with young men over the age of 21 more likely to engage in this behavior.
Dale City, Virginia:
Do you think the teenage 'Britney Spears Generation' has been educated enough on the perils of un-safe sex?
Michael Cover: If one looks at the data, it is clear that young people have not gotten the message. But, remember when we were teenagers...it was a great feeling to know that you were going to "live forever". Back then (for me at least) HIV was not a threat, and have sex was not considered dangerous. Today, the world is a different place. We have a generation of young people at risk of HIV infection, and we must work in partnership with and in all levels of society -- the home, business, academics, social situations, government, and non-government community-based organizations -- all of us can play a role in protecting these young people from HIV infection.
Northwest DC:
What is the biggest obstacle to Whitman-Walker's mission?
Michael Cover: Our mission statement reads as follows..."Whitman-Walker Clinic is a non-profit community-based health organization serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. Established by and for the gay and lesbian community, our Clinic is comprised of diverse volunteers and staff who provide or facilitate the delivery of high quality, comprehensive, accessible health care and community services. Whitman-Walker Clinic is especially committed to ending the suffering of all those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS."
To put it simply, we are committed to ending the HIV epidemic and to health and wellness of the GLBT community.
As with any non-profit, there are many obstacles, from the availability of adequate funding to (most significantly) an incredibly insidious disease that is raving our metropolitan area and the world.
But, there are many opportunities for us to work in partnership with the community to accomplish our goals. At Whitman-Walker CLinic, we work hard to identify those opportunites, and to CREATE opportunities from obstacles.
VA:
There was an episode where a gay guy told the doctor that his partner is a virus thriller. What's so important about getting the AIDS virus to stay with the partner?
Michael Cover: Intentionally putting one's self at risk of contracting HIV is never a good idea, for ANY reason. However, we know that some people have emotional and mental health challenges that lead them to put themselves at risk. That's whay we offer comprehensive mental health services as a part of our approach to serving our community. HIV is not a simple disease...
DC:
I heard on the radio station yesterday that churches should be held responsible for getting the message out about HIV. My opinion is that too many churches don't hold members accountable for sex outside of marriage. They let couples shack up and have sex while claiming to be Christians. If ministers preached the Bible in terms of sex, and held members accountable, there will not be so many people with the disease. Instead they let member so what they want even as it goes against the bible. What is your opinion on this?
Michael Cover: The bottom line is that people have sex. Religious people, too. Churches can play a role in HIV prevention by informing their congregants of the risks of unprotected sex, and they should. Churches all over the country are joining the fight against HIV and AIDS, and they should be encouraged to do so. They play a critical leadership role in many communities and can help spread the word about the importance of protection against HIV infection.
washingtonpost.com:
Thanks, Michael Cover, for taking the time to answer questions with us today. What will we see from Whitman-Walker in 2002?
Michael Cover: Whitman-Walker will be concentrating on strengthening our partnerships with our allies in the fight against HIV and AIDS...from the Department of Health and the HIV/AIDS Administration, to other health providers, to community leaders and individuals. We will also be working hard everyday to provide the high-quality, compassionate and comprehensive health care to the thousands of people living with HIV and AIDS in our region. We will continue to conduct outreach, provide HIV Counseling and Testing, medical services, mental health care, addiction treatment services and social and support programs for those in need.
We also will be working hard to expand out health care services and programs for the GLBT community. We were founded as a gay and lesbian health clinic, and remain committed to and proud of our historic role in serving the health care needs of these communities.
But we cannot do any of this alone. Please visit us online at www.wwc.org and learn more about how you can join us as we work to end HIV and AIDS, and for the health of our entire community. We are proud to serve our entire metropolitan region with sites in Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland.
If you have questions, call us at 202-797-3500, or e-mail us at wwcinfo@wwc.org...
Finally, call us to schedule anonymous and confidential HIV testing at 202-332-EXAM...know your HIV status, stay healthy, and do your part to end this epidemic.
Thank you for inviting me to be part of WashingtonPost.com today.
washingtonpost.com:
That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the
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