PRI--AIDS-Grand Moms

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

PRI--AIDS-Grand Moms

Associated Press (02/04/93) (Neergaard, Lauran)

Atlanta--A government-funded group designed to help poor black HIV-positive mothers cope with their condition has been operating out of Atlanta, Ga., since last year. The group, MOMS Hands, short for Mothers Offering Mothers Support, was founded by Sandra McDonald with a $400,000 grant for three years from the federal Health Resources and Service Administration. Only recently has the public recognized the AIDS problem among women. McDonald said, "In the black community, folks say people with AIDS deserve to die; they're targets of violence. There is no support for women, mothers." She added that because everyone loves and respects grandmothers, "we pair these young mothers with grandmothers and automatically somebody loves them." The federal government hopes that other programs like MOMS Hands will form to give young, black mothers with HIV/AIDS the support they need. MOMS Hands is an offshoot of Outreach Inc., also founded by McDonald. Outreach was launched in 1986 in Atlanta, and was among the first AIDS groups in the South to provide for the needs of minorities there. Of the 242,146 AIDS cases reported in the country since 1981, women account for 11 percent. About 53 percent of those women are black, according to the Centers for Disease Control. MOMS Hands has already paired about 80 Little Moms with 22 Big Moms. The Big Moms serve as volunteers, but their training and public education is paid for by the program. The Big Moms help the Little Moms disclose their HIV-infected status to children. They also offer comfort and help when the infected women become ill or are tempted by drugs.

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