Rowan County AIDS Task Force changes name

The Rowan County AIDS Task Force has changed its name, but not its mission. The nonprofit, volunteer organization continues to provide services that improve the lives of individuals and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. It also works to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS through education and testing. As of Jan. 1, the group is now Rowan Care Alliance.

The group decided to remove AIDS from its name because of the stigma that continues to be attached to people with HIV and AIDS. “HIV stigma is a huge deterrent to testing, education, prevention and outreach,” said Stacey Cuevas, case manager supervisor of HIV Case Management at Rowan Regional Medical Center and a Rowan Care Alliance board member. “Many people, including medical professionals believe that all people with HIV or AIDS are drug users or lead a risky lifestyle.”

Cuevas said that perception is far from the norm in Rowan County. Here 230 individuals have been diagnosed with AIDS or are HIV positive. Of that number, 96 are clients of HIV Case Management — they are actively seeking help with doctor appointments, transportation and treatment options. The majority of case managed clients — 61 percent — contracted the disease through heterosexual means. The other 39 percent were drug users, gay males, gay males who were also drug users, people born with the disease and those for whom the transmission route is unknown.

The majority of case managed clients — 65 percent — are African Americans. Twenty-six percent are Caucasian, seven percent Latino, one percent Asian and one percent Native American. HIV and AIDS stigma is particularly acute in the Latino and African American communities. Shame and the fear of disapproval, rejection and exclusion keep many Latinos and African Americans from getting tested for HIV or from seeking services. Clients are almost equally divided between females (44 percent) and males (56 percent).

Lawrence Jones, a client of HIV Case Management, thinks that many people who are HIV positive stay away from getting help because “in Salisbury, everybody knows everybody. They are too embarrassed to come forward; the information is too personal.” Jones, who was diagnosed in 2001, finds that people are generally curious about HIV/AIDS and want to know more about it. “I use it to educate others about the disease. It is not a death sentence.”

“If one person gets tested for HIV because our new name is welcoming and non-threatening, we have succeeded,” said Dr. Gordon Senter, president of Rowan Care Alliance.

For more information about HIV or AIDS case management contact Stacey Cuevas at 704-210-5951. To help fund bus tickets, food and gift cards for clients, obtain a speaker or learn more about Rowan Care Alliance contact Board President Dr. Gordon Senter at 704-639-9580.