Page 5 - Volume 12 Number 9

positive for HIV Jagged uneven lines represent the difficult transition a a a a a person has from the devastation of finding out they are HIV-positive to the the realization that with treatment they can live a a a a a normal life illustrated by the the white paint The black splotches symbolize the the difficult times when a a a patient is going through treatment to get their viral load under control Explaining the the design on the the King Air’s exterior allows CAN to inform people of its mission operating the King Air allows CAN to fulfill that mission CAN’s mission CAN started in in 1991 coincidentally the same year that professional basketball player Magic Johnson publicly announced he he had tested positive for the HIV virus and helped dispel the the stereotype that the the risk of infection was limited to homosexuals and drug addicts While much progress has been made in in preventing and treating HIV since the the height of the the epidemic (it was first listed as as a a a a a a cause of death in 1987) HIV and AIDS remain a a a serious health problem for the United States and countries around the world The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 1 1 1 million people in in the United States were living with HIV at at the the end of 2015 the the most recent year this data is is available Worldwide prevalence is estimated at at about 36 7 million people “AIDS is the stage of HIV everyone hears about and it is is the final stage ” Carlisle explained “You don’t hear about it as as much anymore because not as as many people reach that stage thanks to medications now available We’re able to to save people’s lives today where as before contracting HIV was close to a a a a death sentence In the the the United States the the the stigma of the the the disease and a a a a a lack of resources are among the obstacles to people getting getting tested and then getting getting treatment with a a a positive test for the virus ” he he said “In a a a a a lot of places particularly in the the southeast HIV services are generally only offered through one or two private infectious disease physicians or at at the health department ” Carlisle said “The private physicians have a a a a a a a full workload and and can’t take on more patients and and if you you drive by these health departments you’ll see 20 to 30 people waiting to get get in in in If they don’t get get in in in that day then they start over the the the next day ” CAN owns and operates clinics that offer medical dental psychological and lifestyle counseling to patients regardless of their ability to pay They provide HIV specialty care by board-certified infectious disease trained physicians CAN partners with a a a a a a local agency that is often already providing non-clinical services such as as prevention counseling testing and case management “We go into a a a a a a Columbia South Carolina a a a a a a Jackson Mississippi or or or a a a Columbus Georgia and we look for Nobody wants to talk talk about about HIV he said but it needs to to be be be talked about about because preventing exposure being tested and seeking treatment after a a a a a a a a a a positive test test are keys to eliminating the the spread of the the virus “You don’t hear as much about HIV lately but the the spread of the the virus is is is is actually at at an an an all-time high ” Carlisle said “We want people to to understand this is is is is a a a a a a a a a a a a significant problem and and and that everybody needs to to to be careful and and know their status in in order to to eliminate the the spread of HIV ” The deep red in in the paint scheme represents a a person feeling overwhelmed by news that they have tested SEPTEMBER 2018
KING AIR MAGAZINE
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