HIV rates are on the rise among Hispanics in Pima County. From 1998 to 2002 there were 92 new cases of HIV among Hispanics in Pima County, according to the Arizona Health Department. That number jumped to 225 new cases in 2006 and now in 2011 is at 277.
According to Luis Rivera, senior program manager for the HIV program in Pima County, there are an estimated 2,200 people that the department is aware of living with HIV in Tucson. Of those 2,200 people, Rivera said that the department is seeing trends of HIV impacting more of the minority communities such as Latinos and African Americans.
“In general Tucson is reflecting what larger cities see where HIV has a larger impact on families of low socioeconomic status,” added Rivera. “I think it has to do with a lack of resources,” he said about these communities. “It’s a lack of jobs, information, health insurance and also their background and whether or not they talk about sex,” Rivera said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, cultural factors may affect the risk of HIV infection as well. “Some Hispanics/ Latinos may avoid seeking testing, counseling, or treatment if infected out of fear of discrimination. The stigma around homosexuality adds to prevention challenges (e.g., traditional gender roles and cultural norms such as “machismo” contribute to the perception of Hispanic/ Latino gay men as “failed men”),” says the CDC.Deborah Van Sant, pharmacy manager at The Medicine Shoppe, located at south Park Avenue and Tyndall, said she’s seeing infection rates on the rise especially within Latinos under the age of 25. “People are theorizing that this group is treating HIV like other diseases. They aren’t realizing it’s not a simple thing to treat.”
A lack of information is what Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation Program Director T Loving has said is a cause for outreach through youth programs that deal with HIV. Loving explained that youth of color, especially within low socioeconomic areas, are underserved and there is a definite need for such programs. SAAF does work with Toltecalli Academy, John A. Valenzuela Youth Center, and Tucson Urban League in South Tucson focusing on age groups of 13 to 24.
“Our Voz, meaning voice, program is a life skills course,” said SAAF Health Educator Specialist Angel Brophy, “We talk about risky behavior like sex, drugs, and alcohol. We also talk about protected sex and consequences of choices they make.”
Brophy said that there is a lot of misinformation and instead SAAF wants these young people to have reliable information even from their peers. “We have HIV Youth Peer Education which is a program to de-stigmatize HIV and spread the word about it,” Brophy explained. “We help youth understand protecting yourself is the best way to take care of yourself,” she added.
The Walgreens on Sixth Avenue is also recognizing the impact and need within the South Tucson area pertaining to HIV.
Ryan Hansen, pharmacy manager, said that their location is now recognized as what Walgreens calls an HIV Center of Excellence. “Basically we keep extra inventory of HIV medications whereas some of our other stores don’t,” Hansen said. “It’s expensive to keep these meds in stock,” he said, “Other stores don’t have them because they may not use them as much.”
The selection process to become one of the Walgreens that has this program is dependent upon the area it is located in, he said. “We just started and are not fully set up yet. What’s holding us up right now is the training,” Hansen added. He explained that this type of program requires special training so that the pharmacists will have more experience and knowledge about HIV medications and treatment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the national rate of new HIV infections among Hispanics/Latinos in 2006 was 2.5 times that of whites. Among Hispanic/Latino women there was a rate of HIV infection that was nearly four times that of white women.
Hispanics/Latinos are also most likely to be infected with HIV as a result of sexual contact with men, the CDC says. “Hispanic/Latina women may be unaware of their male partner’s risk factors or incorrectly assess them,” according to the CDC.
“I don’t think some girls realize that even someone young can have HIV or an STD,” said South Tucson resident Leticia Vegas, 21. She learned about in high school health class and always makes partners use protection.
She said some people show no signs of infection, and a potential partner wouldn’t know unless asked. “Guys might not say anything because they want to get intimate.”
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The next SAAF youth program class will take place Nov. 1 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Tucson Urban League on South Park Avenue.
