The Marion County Public Health Department will join with other community groups in promoting National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Feb. 7.
More than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States, Blacks account for more new HIV infections, AIDS cases, people estimated to be living with HIV disease, and HIV-related deaths. Even though Blacks make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, they account for about half (49 percent) of the people who get HIV and AIDS. Blacks don’t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS, due to multiple levels of barriers (i.e. poverty, stigma, etc.). Blacks have more deaths due to HIV/AIDS than any other racial/ethnic group.
When looking at the disease from a gender perspective, for Black men, the most common ways of getting HIV are: (1) having unprotected sex with another man or woman who has HIV; and (2) sharing injection drug works (like needles or syringes) with someone who has HIV. For Black women, the most common ways of getting HIV are: (1) having unprotected sex with a man who has HIV; and (2) sharing injection drug works (like needles or syringes) with someone who has HIV. Blacks at higher risk for HIV are those (1) who are unaware of their sexual partner’s risk factors; (2) with other STDs (which affect more Blacks than any other racial or ethnic group); and (3) who live in poverty (which is about one quarter [25 percent] of all Blacks).
The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black Americans is a continuing public health crisis for the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at the end of 2006, there were an estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV infection, of which almost half (46 percent) were Blacks.
For more information about confidential testing, contact the Marion County Health Department’s Bell Flower Clinic at (317) 221-8300 or www.bellflowerclinic.org.
Health department accepting disposal
of household sharps
The Marion County Public Health Department Water Quality and Hazardous Materials Management (WQHMM) and Community-Based Care programs are pleased to announce a new community program that provides free, safe disposal of home-generated sharps.
The sharps disposal program offers Marion County residents a safe disposal option for their used needles, syringes and lancets. With the number of sharps being used to self-administer medicines increasing, proper disposal of these sharps becomes even more important.
Until now, Marion County residents wanting to safely dispose of household sharps had few cost effective options. Sharps often are placed in trashs, put down drains or simply dumped outdoors.
Used sharps can be dropped off at the three district health offices, including the Northwest District Health Office, 6940 Michigan Rd.; the Northeast District Health Office, 6042 E. 21st St.; and the South District Health Office, 505 National Ave.
Sharps must be placed in hard, plastic containers and new 5-quart sharps containers will be given out in exchange while supplies last. For more information on the sharps disposal program, contact WQHMM at (317) 221-2266.
