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
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Executive Editor
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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