06/21/08

FLORIDA:  HIV/AIDS Still Prevalent in Collier, Lee with Nearly 3,000 Cases

Local health departments and community groups are using National HIV Testing Day events to reach out to Southwest Florida's minority communities.

"We have to be culturally sensitive and culturally proficient," said Amalia Zamot, the state's regional minority HIV/AIDS coordinator. The state is pushing hard to reach Haitians, African Americans, and various Hispanic groups, Zamot said.

In Collier County, the Health Department has a "one-stop shop" for HIV testing, medical aid, information and support, said Scott Tims, the program's manager. The department also goes out and tests in the community, and it is working on outreach through nonprofits and churches, said Tims.

Collier had 1,357 HIV/AIDS cases through June 16, and 60 percent are minorities. Among all reported cases, about 55 percent live around Naples and the remaining cases are from Immokalee.

In Lee County, HIV/AIDS' geographic distribution is fairly even, although the highest rate is in Fort Myers, said Jeanmanno Emmanuel Titus, HIV/AIDS surveillance manager for Lee, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties.

Reaching out to black and Hispanic males, regardless of background or risk factors, has been difficult, said Dr. Peter Bright of the Fort Myers-based nonprofit Island Coast AIDS Network. "It's much easier to get women to get tested than men," he said.

For information about testing events in Florida, visit www.doh.state.fl.us/Disease_ctrl/aids/index.html.

Source: Naples Daily News:: Elysa Batista; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention