February, Black History Month, is on its way out, but that doesn’t mean the issues affecting Nevada’s Black community are, too. One such issue is the state’s HIV/AIDS rate, which disproportionately impacts the local Black community.
Clark County has a 36% higher rate of HIV than the United States average. And in 2023, HIV/AIDS affected more than 1,200 African Americans in Southern Nevada.
Melva Thompson-Robinson is a professor at the UNLV School of Nursing, an HIV/AIDS researcher, and an advisor to the Dean of the School of Nursing on equity, inclusion, and justice. She said the main problem that Black residents face in Nevada is the stigma against HIV/AIDS.
“Back in the 80s, it was portrayed as a gay white man disease, and then … even among Black people, it was a gay person's disease,” Thompson-Robinson said. “And then it was, in the case of one of my cousins, from intravenous drug use. Those are not, in theory, the outstanding citizens in our community.”
Another issue is access to medication needed to treat the disease. Medications like PrEP and PEP, both prevention and protection for HIV/AIDS, are not widely available without healthcare. Thompson-Robinson said it’s hard to navigate a system that is built for limited access.
And the HIV/AIDS conversation tends to neglect the most affected population — Black women.
“Black women have some of the highest rates of HIV in our community,” Thompson-Robinson said. “We don't always look at the data that way, and we also don't focus on the fact that Black women are getting infected through heterosexual contact.”
A fear of stigmatization is what stops many Southern Nevadans from getting tested, and being diagnosed.
“[There’s] a lot of fear about being labeled as the person that is sick, that didn't behave well, psychologically in the background,” said Antioco Carrillo, the executive director of Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN).
In the meantime, local community-run organizations continue to provide a support system for people living with HIV/AIDS, through get-togethers, clubs, and events.
One such event is AFAN’s annual AIDS Walk. The event, which is in its 36th year, is on April 26 at Craig Ranch Regional Park.
“It's closer to where the community really needs to see that [love and support],” Carillo said.
MORE FREE AND LOW-COST RESOURCES:
The Center’s Arlene Cooper Community Health Center
Las Vegas TGA Part A HIV/AIDS Program (Clark, Nye, Mohave Counties)
