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Whitman walker clinic raising aids awareness in dc
BY TONYA BENNETT
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Whitman Walker Clinic.
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One in every 20 adults in the District is HIV positive and one in every 50 has full blown AIDS, according to experts. Further eight out of every 10 AIDS related cases are African-American women with an average age between the mid 20’s and mid 40’s. Zanetta, (last name withheld) a DC resident who has been living with HIV for eight years knows all too well how those statistics translate into the real world.
Now 40, she says she was 32 when she first learned of her status in 2000. “I’m not sure how I contracted the virus,” she expresses. She admits that she is a former heroine addict. “I’m not sure whether I contracted it by sharing needles or through unprotected sex” she admits. Since learning of her status, Zanetta has been receiving treatment at the Whitman Walker Clinic.
The Clinic first opened its doors in 1978 and began providing health care to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Today it continues its mission to serve thousands of people in the community, with specialty care for those living with HIV and AIDS. At least 800 volunteers donate their time and services annually to Whitman Walker to help heighten AIDS awareness among men and women. According to Chip Lewis, deputy director of Communications, “the AIDS epidemic has become a very serious problem here in the city, [which is] increasingly alarming among African-American women.”
Lewis also states that late testing is “particularly bad” among D.C. residents, “which increases the risk of exposure. “Most don’t find out their status until they’re very sick” he says “which usually decreases the success of treatment. The earlier the detection, the better the chances are of successful treatment,” he adds.
Early next year, Whitman Walker will launch a new campaign “Project Red” (Reach, Educate and Decrease), which will target high-risk areas with a message of education and prevention. The clinic will also focus more efforts on direct outreach, going out into neighborhoods, nightclubs, bars, community events as well as churches, says Lewis. “It’s imperative to know” he adds. “Testing is anonymous and confidential and once you know your status, we can then move forward with servicing your needs.”
Zanetta certainly agrees. “African-American women who are living high-risk lifestyles get tested,” she says.
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