Howard Brown Begins HIV Testing in China; Groundbreaking Achievement Is First of Its Kind 4/1/2004
From: Darryl Nash of the Howard Brown Health Center, 773-388-8873 or darryln@howardbrown.org CHICAGO, April 1 -- As the premier LGBT health care organization in the Midwest, Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) has been a forerunner in HIV medicine since the disease became rampant in the 1980s. Now, in an ongoing global effort, the Center 's "China Project" has taken a significant leap forward this month by staging the first-ever HIV rapid testing and counseling within at-risk communities in China. A month-long visit to Zhejiang Province on China's southeast coast resulted in Howard Brown staff working in gay bars and brothels, conducting HIV testing, counseling, and prevention among gay men and female sex workers -- populations shunned by society and most seriously threatened by the spread of HIV. Three HBHC staff members, including Executive Director Keith Waterbrook, spent two weeks implementing the initial hands-on phase of a five-year process. A fourth Howard Brown representative remained for an additional two weeks to oversee Chinese health care outreach workers as they continue implementation of this groundbreaking effort. The journey was not without obstacles. "It's a very delicate situation," says Waterbrook after over thirty visits to China, "to get involved with these at-risk populations in China." Finally, Waterbrook urged his hosts to stay the course, and The China Project moved forward. "I nodded. They nodded. It was thumbs-up." Underlying fears of Chinese health staff and bar owners would not deter the effort to use Abbott Laboratories' donated Rapid HIV tests in Hangzhou and Ningbo, two economically flourishing cities that, like all metropolitan communities, house significant at-risk populations. Of thirty gay men who tested over the first two weekends, one tested positive for HIV. But well over a million Chinese are said to be infected, many unaware of their HIV status. "They are where we were back in the early 1980s," according to Scott Cook, director of community services at Howard Brown and one of the center's delegates to China. "The stigma around HIV is still very significant over there." Because of the stigma, Cook acknowledged the need for anonymous testing and confidential treatment. "People will not seek treatment (in China) unless they are sure it is confidential. Confidentiality is a necessity, and the Chinese are working on it." While Waterbrook, Cook, and Dan Taussig oversaw and conducted testing in the bars and brothels, Howard Brown Medical Director Dr. Leigh Roberts visited hospitals in both cities to begin creation of outpatient services related to HIV. In evaluating medical needs and the ability of these hospitals to care for HIV- positive patients, Roberts was struck most by her experiences with Chinese physicians. "The doctors were deeply, deeply hungry for information (about HIV)," she says, adding that some hospital staff are clearly afraid to care for HIV-infected persons. Chinese health workers, trained by Howard Brown staff, will continue Saturday night testing in a Hangzhou gay bar and brothels (referred to by the Chinese as "recreation centers") in Ningbo -- a practice once unheard of but finally, a reality. "It was very moving to me that we were going to make history here," says Roberts. "These moments make history." ------ Howard Brown Health Center is the Midwest's premier Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender health care organization, and leads the region in addressing comprehensive health care needs of people in the LGBT community. HBHC is a multi-site operation, including Triad Health and the Brown Elephant Resale Stores. The Center provides an expansive network of programs and services through a qualified staff of licensed health care practitioners, renowned research professionals, and prominent community leaders. |