For Immediate
Release
Aug. 6, 2008
WHITMAN-WALKER CLINIC OFFERS COMMUNITY UPDATE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV
Clinic Likely to Confirm at Least One Percent of All New Infections in U.S. during 2008
WASHINGTON - Whitman-Walker Clinic highlighted new findings and trends in the fight against HIV based on its data from the first half of 2008:
- The Clinic confirmed a total of 266 new HIV diagnoses, a 232 percent increase over the number of new diagnoses confirmed in the first half of 2007;
- One-third of all newly-diagnosed patients have full-blown AIDS when they first seek care at the Clinic; and
- New infections are primarily found in two groups—gay men and African-Americans—which track closely with recent Centers for Disease Control’s report on HIV incidence.
“Our experience mirrors the CDC’s findings, and we are seeing an increasing number of gay men and African-Americans with new HIV infections,” said Dr. Raymond Martins, chief medical officer for Whitman-Walker Clinic. “However, we have experienced more than a three-fold increase in the number of new HIV diagnoses for the first half of 2008 without an appreciable increase in HIV testing. These are troubling statistics that warrant more aggressive education, prevention and testing initiatives.”
“At each of our sites, we are seeing an increasing number of young gay men, particularly African-American men, coming to us newly infected,” said Justin Goforth, director of Whitman-Walker’s Medical Adherence unit. “These are young men who don’t remember the first wave of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and came of age when effective treatments were available. As a result, they have never seen HIV as a major problem.”
The CDC’s report, combined with the DC Department of Health’s report last fall and the Black AIDS Institute’s report released last week, reinforces the need for more aggressive prevention and testing initiatives, especially ones targeting African-Americans and gay men.
In preparation for its new Project R.E.D. HIV prevention initiative, Whitman-Walker Clinic conducted a series of focus groups in populations at risk: African-American heterosexual men and women, young gay men and gay men of color. One surprising theme emerged—even though everyone recognized HIV was a serious issue, every group identified HIV as really being a problem for another demographic group. This is of great concern because the highest risk groups do not identify themselves as being high risk and thus increase their susceptibility to HIV through unsafe behavior and a lack of knowledge.
“HIV is a 100 percent preventable disease if you take it seriously and know how to protect yourself,” said Martins. “Whitman-Walker Project R.E.D. will reach populations at high risk, educate them about HIV and how to prevent infection and decrease the number of new HIV infections in the city. The CDC report further underscores the importance of this campaign and the need for greater resources in the prevention effort.”
Established in 1973, Whitman-Walker Clinic is a non-profit, community-based provider of health care and social services in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Through three sites, in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia, the Clinic offers primary medical and dental care; mental health and addictions counseling and treatment; HIV education, prevention, and testing; legal services; medical adherence case management; and a food bank. Whitman-Walker Clinic is committed to meeting the health needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community and people living with HIV/AIDS.
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