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Page 2 The Skanner February 15, 2017 Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Opinion Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher Reducing Stigma Will Reduce the Spread of HIV/AIDS Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor T Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Melanie Sevcenko Reporter Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2016 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2017 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar RSS feeds BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION @theskannernews hose of us working in HIV prevention have al- ways believed that the spread of the virus was largely due to stigma around sex and sexuality, and that the only time we’d see any sort of progress in the fight against the epidemic, was when soci- ety started engaging on the matter more openly. But it wasn’t until the 2009 report on the correlation between the spread of HIV and stigma in the Dominican Republic that we could claim it as a fact. The implications of this re- port illustrated how social attitudes create an environ- ment that propels the spread of HIV. Researchers found that stig- ma affected treatment toward people living with HIV; this has consequences for access to sexual health services and the way they are adminis- tered by health professionals, or, in some cases, denied. Re- searchers also found that stig- ma consequently affected at- risk individuals’ willingness to seek HIV-related services, including testing. Stigma, therefore, helps to drive the Angelo C. Louw NNPA Guest Columnist spread of this virus. This is evident when ob- serving the prevalence of HIV among African Amer- ican women in the United States (U.S.). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of all women diagnosed with HIV “ with partners of the same race/ethnicity.” New infec- tions among injectable drug users, both men and women, were relatively low. This implies that, some- where along the line, the men these women are having heterosexual sex with are also having unprotected sex with other men; because, if prevalence among African Americans increases the risk of HIV among Black women, and Black men who sleep with men remain most affected by the virus, then one can as- sume that some heterosexual Stigma helps to drive the spread of HIV in the Black community in 2014, most new infections were attributed to heterosex- ual sex and an estimated 62 percent of women diagnosed were African American. CDC attributes this trend to the fact that “the greater number of people living with HIV (prevalence) in African American and Hispanic/Lati- no communities and the fact that people tend to have sex men are also sleeping with other men. While the LGBTQ commu- nity has made massive legal strides in the U.S., in recent years, religious condemna- tion of same-sex relationships remains widespread. Religion continues to be a cornerstone in the the African American community; it played a sig- nificant role in the liberation of Black people. Faith-based leaders often cite the spread of HIV among the greater Af- rican American population to support anti-gay rhetoric. Misinformation breeds stig- ma, creating an environment where people are afraid to engage the matter beyond the pulpit. The fact of the matter is, according to a 2005 study, sex with a partner who had a history of incarceration was a key driver of HIV infections among newly diagnosed Afri- can American women. Infection among inmates in prisons is more than five times greater than the rate among people who are not incarcerated, according to the CDC. Yet, HIV-prevention interventions in prisons are limited to testing and treat- ment. Those of us who believe that stigma around sex and sexu- ality drive the spread of HIV are right; that’s what the facts show. Even with facts staring us in the face, we continue to let hysterics dictate our re- sponse to the pandemic. Feb. 7 was National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Neonatal Mortality: Quiet Crisis of the Black Community I n my years working in healthcare, I have been blessed to see patients cele- brate happy moments, but I have also witnessed times of profound grief. The loss of a baby is one such example that deals a devastating blow to our families, healthcare providers, communities and nation as a whole. Most newborns grow and thrive, but in the United States, almost six out of ev- ery 1,000 babies die during their first year, according to the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention. Many of these deaths occur in the neo- natal phase of development — the critical period from birth to 28 days of life in which ba- bies are more vulnerable to disease, infection and other complications. No mother, family or com- munity in our country should have to endure the pain of losing a child. It’s all the more shocking to learn that Afri- can-American mothers lose a child before their first month of life at more than twice the rate of white women — the highest rate of any racial group, according to the CDC. In some states, the equity gaps are even wider. These figures should sound the alarm for all Americans, especially African Ameri- cans, policy makers, health- care providers and communi- ty leaders. This cannot be our quiet crisis any longer. There are real lives at stake. It will take all of us, work- ing together, to ensure Afri- Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH NNPA Columnist can American babies born in America have every oppor- tunity to thrive. Here are five steps we can take to get there: Access Increasing access to quality, timely and affordable health- care is critical to our mission. “ derstanding among medical professionals and the pa- tients they serve — relation- ships we know lead to better health outcomes across the board. Early Intervention Caring for healthy Black babies begins before concep- tion and continues through- out a mother’s prenatal and post-partum experience. Ear- ly care interventions are crit- ical if we are to address and prevent neonatal and infant mortality, because they allow us to address conditions that their babies are born and stay healthy. Healthy Communities Where you live has a signif- icant impact on your health. Addressing environmental and social factors of health — such as nutrition, stress, sub- stance abuse and domestic safety — will do more than im- prove the lives of mothers and babies. Its impacts will be felt throughout the community. Healthy Neighborhoods De- troit, an Ascension Michigan program, provides a power- ful example of a community building its ca- pacity to address holistic health needs. By inte- grating health- care, education, grocery access and affordable housing in some of the city’s most blighted areas, the ef- fort is creating nerve centers where all residents can access the services they need. The health of our youngest citizens is the yardstick by which we measure the pros- perity of our country and communities. Fortunately, we have made great gains in reducing high rates of neo- natal mortality. But there is still more work to do to ad- dress equity gaps for Afri- can Americans. It will take a comprehensive, coordinated effort to eliminate this quiet crisis. By working together, we have reasons to hope for a future in which African American babies survive, thrive and lead our communi- ties into the future. It will take all of us, working together, to ensure African-American babies born in America have every opportunity to thrive African-American mothers who lost an infant were 2.3 times more likely than White mothers to not begin prenatal care until the third trimester, or not receive prenatal care at all, according to the Depart- ment of Health and Human Services. Culturally Competent Care The factors that influence neonatal health are myriad and complex, but we must continue our efforts to build a culture of health in the Black community — one that com- petently serves the unique needs of mothers on their pregnancy journey and en- sures they are at her healthi- est even before they conceive. This work requires health- care providers enhance our outreach to communities of color to forge bridges of un- could lead to poor birth out- comes. Hypertension — a dis- ease that disproportionately affects African Americans and can cause serious birth complications — is one such disease that can be managed through a mother’s ongoing relationship with her health- care provider. Self-Empowerment Importantly, African Amer- ican mothers must take full ownership of their healthcare experience. That means tak- ing advantages of every op- portunity to access proactive preconception, prenatal and post-partum care, and feeling empowered to ask questions. Understanding what’s nor- mal, when to be concerned and when to call a doctor is the No. 1 thing African Amer- ican women can do to ensure
