ATLANTA — With a new CDC report ranking metro Atlanta third-highest for HIV diagnoses, Grady Health System is making an effort to combat the disease.
That effort is now underway as Grady expands current resources to its neighborhood clinics, an effort to further educate more people about HIV/AIDs treatment and prevention. The hope is to break down barriers, which often include transportation issues, as well as address the stigma that still exists.
"Nobody talked about it when I was growing up. It was only talked about in a negative light," Justine Davenport, who was born HIV positive, told 11Alive News.
Davenport will be part of the team helping reach community members as expansion efforts unfold, starting with Grady's East Point Community Health Center.
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Eric Paul Leue, the vice president of HIV services at the Ponce De Leon Center in Atlanta, says part of the reason why HIV is on the rise is because it's no longer dominating headlines.
"I think we encounter a lot of folks in our communities and around that are like, 'Wait, HIV is still a thing? I thought that was the 90's.' But HIV is unfortunately alive and well in the south," said Leue.
Since the 1980s, the Ponce Center has offered comprehensive treatment for those living with HIV/AIDS, a critical service given the virus' spread in the Atlanta area.
"Fulton and DeKalb have the highest HIV new infection rate in the entire nation. So it's really important that we are right here, but it also means that we need to be more accessible," said Leue.
He added that the tools to end the epidemic, like medication to treat people and prevent the virus, are readily available, but access remains a problem for some.
Davenport added that working at Grady helped her want to educate more people.
"But coming to Grady and realizing many of my patients are living in the dark, they feel like they are less than... They feel like they are unable to do things, and I don't think that's fair," she added.
As Grady expands HIV services, Davenport will be involved, proving a health life is within reach.
"The fact that we get to go out in the community and give them options is great because these options can help them stay healthier and live better lives," she added. "We need to spread the information and make sure we're getting patients into care."
The Ponce Center currently serves 8,000 patients a year. They want to serve an additional 600 patients as they expand services through the community health centers.
To learn more about Grady Health System's HIV resources, click the links below.
- HIV Prevention Access - PrEP/PEP or call (404) 616-PrEP
- Ponce HIV Care Access Center, located at 341 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE in Atlanta or call (404) 616-2440
- Here's where to find HIV testing in your area
- Here's how to get access to free HIV test kits at Home
- More information on access to HIV Prevention
- More information on HIV care
Going forward, HIV Care services will now be available at Grady's East Point Health Center on Fridays. In May, HIV services will expand to the Camp Creek location and be available to patients on Mondays; the Cascade site will offer services on Tuesdays also beginning in May.
Grady's new Lee & White community health center is slated to open in late summer, at which point HIV services will be available at that location on Thursday. To view all of the locations, click here.