On World AIDS Day, experts remind people to get tested

On World AIDS Day on Thursday, the HIV Commission of Pittsburgh reminded people that while conditions have improved, HIV has not been eradicated and it is still important to get tested.

The HIV Commission was formed in 2012 after former council member Corey O’Connor passed his first bill approving its creation.

The group, with experts from UPMC, AHN, the Allegheny County Health Department and other local institutions, advises City Council and local government on best practices to treat HIV and AIDS, recent advances in technology, trends, protocols and health disparities that might be affecting people with this disease.

“We want to make sure [the newer generation] understands it’s not an eradicated disease,” said Ricky Moody, the community health and human services manager of City Council, who has also helped coordinate HIV Commission actions. “HIV intersects with a lot of vulnerable populations. All hands are on deck to make sure we find a cure.”

While a search for the cure goes on, people at risk for HIV or AIDS can get screened for free at various locations in Pittsburgh, including the Allegheny County Health Department’s Public Health Clinic at 1908 Wylie Ave. in the Hill District, the nonprofit Prevention Point Pittsburgh in collaboration with Allies for Health + Well Being, as well as primary care facilities and drug treatment centers around the city.

“We know that the COVID pandemic closed clinics, which subsequently halted a lot of HIV testing capabilities,” said Mr. Moody in a news release. He added that stigma still prevents testing, and that it is important for primary care providers to educate and discuss available resources with patients.

The commission plans to update their outreach plan for at- risk communities within the next few months, including partnering with more nonprofits to expand their reach and focusing particularly on HIV’s intersection with other conditions like sexually transmitted infections, mental illness and social determinants of health that may hinder accessing care.

Allies for Health + Well Being is one leading nonprofit offering a multitude of medical resources, including for HIV and AIDS. On Sept. 26, Allies hosted a book reading and panel discussion with local HIV advocate and author Clarisse Jordan, Allies physicians and other local public health experts. They discussed obstacles people face in accessing treatment and how conditions have improved since the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.

“When I got HIV almost 40 years ago, we weren’t living 18 months,” Ms. Jordan said. “Now you can live as long as you want as long as you take the medicine.”

“So much has improved, and at the same time, the same obstacles that existed 40 years ago still exist today,” said Debra Dennison, one of the panelists and the capacity building director of the HIV Care and Prevention Project at the University of Pittsburgh. A lack of information is one barrier to care, she said. “A lot of folks think [ HIV] has disappeared, and it hasn’t.”

“Stigma kills quickly and it will stop people from getting care,” Ms. Jordan said during the panel. “My vision is to empower HIV-positive people to get to acceptance, because once you get to acceptance, you can thrive, and you can live a joyful life.”