Health Fair Targets HIV/AIDS in Central Tampa

The parking lot on the corner of 22nd street and Hillsborough Avenue was abuzz with people Monday afternoon. Hip hop music by artist Nicki Minaj blared from the speakers and the smell of hot dogs wafted through the air.

But this was not a block party; it was an educational health fair aimed at stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS among the local black community.

The volunteers and medical staff working at multicolored tables in the Walgreen's parking lot were there to bring attention to National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

The event was organized by the Tampa Bay Community Events Partnership, an organization made up of 10 agencies that specialize in the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The groups provided free screenings for HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy and cholesterol levels.

“Instead of each agency doing our own little event, we figured that we would pool our resources and have one big event in the name of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day,” said Michelle McKinney of USF Health.

Andrew Maldonado, the minority AIDS coordinator for the Hillsborough County Health Department, said Monday's health fair in Central Tampa was important in bringing awareness to the area’s large black population.

“Through these events, we hope and pray that we can make an impact in the community,” Maldonado said. “We can’t just sit back and expect them to come get tested; we have to go to them.”

Daryl Richardson, who was tested at the event, came to the health fair because he has seen family members and friends affectd by the disease.

“So many of us in our community are dying from this dreadful disease,” Richardson said. “Everyone needs to get tested and know what their status is.”

Maldonado said that one in 46 black men in Florida is infected with HIV. For black women, the rate of infection is one in 79. For each reported case of HIV, there four to six that go unreported. The reason for the spread, Maldonado said, is that the community does not accept that there is a problem.

“If people don’t acknowledge that they put themselves at risk by having sex, then they won’t go tested,” he said.

One big obstacle to getting more black residents to get themsleves tested is the stigma that the disease has in the black community, McKinney said.

“A lot of people still think that if you have HIV that you’re dirty, nasty or a prostitute having sex with multiple partners,” she said. “That’s not necessarily true.”

Others are afraid of knowing their status, she said.

“Some people feel that they would not be able to deal with it or cope with it since some feel it is a death sentence, when now we know that it’s not,” McKinney said.

Another purpose of Monday's event was to educate the community about how HIV and other STDs are spread. Representatives from the health department said they often debunk myths that HIV is spread through kissing, touching or even sharing a water fountain with an infected person.

“All of these issues are community issues,” Maldonado said. “We need the community to accept that there is a problem, and that they want to come together as one to be a force to stop the growth of HIV and AIDS in their community.”