Public Employee Press

AIDS fighters of District Council 37

For two decades DC 37 has started every December by observing World AIDS Awareness Day, with volunteers distributing condoms, red ribbons of support and information on AIDS and the HIV virus that causes it.

"Our theme this year is health-care access and human rights, which go hand-in-hand," said Local 436 President Judith Arroyo, a Public Health Nurse who is living with HIV. "We expect President Obama's health-care reform law to improve access to treatment, since it promises to lift the payment caps that health insurers have imposed on medicines for chronic disease management," she said.

Retiree Arlene Tuff and staffers Danielle Falotico and Auriel Henderson organized DC 37's AIDS Day participation Dec. 1, which included pamphlets in dozens of languages on living with the immune system disease and preventing the spread of HIV.

Since the AIDS pandemic began 30 years ago, 60 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV and 30 million of them have died. Lifesaving medications can cost thousands of dollars a month, even with insurance, because some health plans limit prescription coverage. In some cases, Arroyo said, "People deplete their life savings."

A study reported in November said the antiviral combination pill Truvada offers promise as a prophylactic that can stem transmission of HIV. The pill costs about $33 a day in the United States but just 40 cents overseas.

"The study offers hope," said Arroyo, who chairs LAGIC, DC 37's Lesbian and Gay Issues Committee. "The AIDS profile has shifted: Women of color and people over the age of 50 are the new faces of HIV and AIDS."

"Stigmas and myths still surround AIDS, and the primary one is that people over age 50 don't have sex," said Local 957 President Walthene Primus, who chairs the DC 37 Women's Committee.

Falotico encouraged people to know their status, pointing out that testing takes less than an hour.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts stopped at the AIDS Day table to encourage and praise the volunteers. "DC 37 is fortunate to have a concerned community that keeps AIDS awareness in the forefront. They are faithful about educating the public on what can be done to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS," she said.