AU students need to be aware of AIDS risk behaviors and prevention methods, according to on-campus organizations such as The Naked Truth and the Wellness Center.
Following a harsh report on the District's response to the city's HIV/AIDS problem, a follow-up report gave the city a mixed review on its six-month review last Thursday, according to The Washington Post.
The report, conducted by the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, rated the city on each of the implementation of the twelve recommendations it had received from the August report, with grades varying from a "D" to a "B+." D.C.'s rate of annual new cases of AIDS is almost 12 times the national rate, and it is estimated that one in 20 residents is HIV-positive, according to The Washington Post.
TNT President Cameron Smith, a junior in the School of Public Affairs whose groups run the "Sex, Milk And Cookies" presentations in the residence halls, said in her experience, AU students feel AIDS is something that will never affect them even after they have seen the statistics for the city. She stressed the need to increase condom distribution in the city and for condom use during oral sex. Smith said she had never had a student be genuinely interested in the need to use protection during oral sex.
"Instead of being proactive and protecting themselves, students are reactive and just decide to deal with it if it happens," Smith said. "With something this important, I don't feel that is a responsible decision."
According to Kathy Haldeman, the coordinator for the Health Center's Wellness Center, the Health Center offers free condoms and provides the Ora-quick HIV test for a fee, with the results available within twenty minutes.
The Health Center also offers HIV prevention counseling and a discussion of risk behaviors, and one of the TNT counselors has been trained by the Red Cross specifically to deal with HIV/AIDS issues.
Haldeman said, however, that it is becoming "increasingly difficult" to find other resources in the District, with clinics who previously offered free HIV tests losing their funding.
"People really need to know and be aware of modes of transmission and know which sexual behaviors create a higher risk than others," Haldeman said. "If you live in D.C. and are not engaging in risky behavior, you are not at a higher risk. Everyone should be vigilant in protecting themselves."
The report praised Mayor Anthony and other officials for being more outspoken about the epidemic and to the new director of the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs hired within days of the August report, Marsh Martin.
The District, however, also received criticism for its shortage in condom distribution and substance abuse programs. In 2004, the city distributed 290,000 condoms, but last year, distributed only a quarter of its goal, 125,000, according to the Post.
Funding for substance abuse treatment has declined in the last eight years, and the city failed to follow the August recommendation that $12 million be used to increase these programs, especially the numbers of beds available at detoxification centers.
Mayor Williams has also failed to appoint and organize an executive-level task force to oversee critical reforms. Also, the plans for improving the HIV/AIDS program in D.C. schools are months behind schedule, according to the Post.
"Controlling HIV/AIDS requires determination and commitment from our public officials," that is not fully evident at this time, according to the report.
