FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2008 |
Contact:
Krishna Stone, GMHC, 212.367.1016
|
GMHC Celebrates National Native American
Awareness Month
Calls for Attention to Racial Disparities
November 28, 2008, New York, NY — Gay Men's Health Crisis joined the NorthEast Two Spirit Society (NE2SS) in celebrating National Native American Awareness Month and called for a renewed commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS in indigenous communities.
"Native Americans are disproportionately at risk for HIV, yet prevention programs often ignore them," said Marjorie Hill, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of GMHC. "Two thirds of Native Americans live in cities, and if New York City were a reservation, it would represent the third largest Native American community in the country."
In August 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that while the numbers of HIV and AIDS diagnoses for American Indians and Alaska Natives represent less than 1% of the total number of HIV/AIDS cases, when population size is taken into account, American Indians and Alaska Natives rank third in rates of HIV/AIDS diagnosis, after blacks and Hispanics. American Indians and Alaska Natives make up 1.5% (4.1 million people) of the total U.S. population. The rate of AIDS diagnosis for this group has been higher than that for whites since 1995. Lack of effective HIV care and treatment disproportionately impacts life expectancy among Native American populations.
"One of the major obstacles for any Native American community — whether in the city or on the reservation, living with or without HIV, gay or straight — is that to most Americans we are invisible," said Harlan Pruden, co-founder and Council Member of NE2SS. "Even when we are acknowledged, there is such overwhelming ignorance about who we are, that we spend more time defending our existence than working with others on an equal basis."
HIV prevention among Native Americans must become a priority. Various risk factors for HIV transmission are high for Native Americans. Elevated rates of sexually transmitted infections including Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis among American Indians and Alaska Natives increase the risk of HIV transmission. Results of the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate the rate of current illicit drug use was twice as high among American Indians and Alaska Natives (21%) than among persons of any other race or ethnicity. Socioeconomic factors, such as poverty, also heighten epidemiologic risk factors for HIV infection in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
"Non-Indian organizations are still very willing to 'colonize' us," added Pruden. "It is a constant battle for inclusion. However, that is a small part of our work. The real work is to undo the 515 years of oppression and suppression, and to work to restore the health and well being of our people on our own terms based on our own cultural values."
"We strongly believe that effectively addressing HIV/AIDS in Native American communities requires a sustained commitment to culturally sensitive HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs and services," added Hill. "As we refocus our attention on the domestic epidemic, it is critical that we prioritize ending disparities affecting Native Americans."
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Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide prevention and care services to more than 15,000 men, women and families that are living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in New York City, and advocate for scientific, evidence-based public health solutions for hundreds of thousands worldwide.
Our Mission: GMHC fights to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected.
© 2008 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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