Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire; Thursday September 10, 1998
"The National Task Force on Rural HIV/AIDS is an important step in developing policy recommendations critical to addressing the unique challenges facing individuals and organizations providing services to those living with HIV and AIDS in rural and frontier America," said Sandra Thurman, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy. "As AIDS continues its encroachment into rural areas, it is imperative that we provide leadership and resources at a national level."
AIDS cases increased by 80 percent between 1991 and 1995 in rural areas compared to a 47 percent increase in urban areas, according to the CDC. In 1996, AIDS cases in rural areas (population of less than 50,000) represented 6.7% of all AIDS cases in the United States. Between 1989 and 1995, in rural communities, heterosexual transmission nearly doubled (5.8% to 11%) -- with even higher increases in rural areas of the south.
Beyond the numbers, there are social issues and challenges unique to the rural setting. In rural areas, acquiring treatment may be difficult, and rural HIV/AIDS patients often travel two or more hours to obtain medical care because getting tested for HIV, discussing sexual practices with health care providers and practicing safe sex can all be difficult to do privately and confidentially in rural areas.
"The rural setting provides a set of obstacles to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment that are entirely different than the challenges faced in the metropolitan areas," said Donna Williams, the NRHA Executive Director. "The National Task Force on Rural HIV/AIDS has brought together leaders providing services at the grassroots level to provide a common voice to the impact this epidemic is having in rural America."
The Southwestern Conference on Rural HIV/AIDS, scheduled for September 10-12, 1998 in Albuquerque, NM, will focus on teaching prevention in Latin, Hispanic and African-American, Native-American and migrant farmworker populations; overcoming barriers to access to health care services in rural and frontier areas; managing patients' drug therapies; preventing HIV infection among substance abusers; and discussing federal HIV and AIDS policies as they relate to rural communities.
The NRHA conference is supported by Hoffmann-La Roche, makers of the most recently approved protease inhibitor, FORTOVASE(TM).
"Hoffmann-La Roche is committed to providing support to all communities touched by HIV/AIDS, and our sponsorship of the National Rural Health Association's Southwestern Conference on Rural HIV/AIDS represents an important continuation of these efforts," said Robert Posch, Virology Community Development Director, Hoffmann-La Roche.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., with a government affairs office in Washington, DC, the NRHA is a nonprofit association composed of individual and organizational members who share a common interest in rural health. Its primary mission is to provide leadership for improving the health and health care of rural Americans through education, communications, research and advocacy. For further information about the NRHA, visit the associations World Wide Web site at http://www.NRHArural.org.
SOURCE: National Rural Health Association
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