New Study Claims Black Men In Atlanta Have A 60% Chance Of Contracting HIV Before Age 30
A nonprofit organization in metro-Atlanta is making sure that men in the area who are in danger of developing poor health and/or contracting illnesses are provided with the support they need.
The Health Institute for Men (HIM) was founded in 2012 but became a nonprofit in 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. The grassroots service vows to assist men (many of whom are African-American) in the city whose health may be at risk, which may include men who have been incarcerated, are homeless, or are in situations that may expose them to viruses such as HIV, according to Atlanta Blackstar.
“The reaction has been positive to what we’re doing, and because the need for men’s supportive health services is significant, I think it hasn’t taken a lot of convincing,” said Executive Director of HIM Walker Tisdale III.
In an interview with Atlanta Blackstar’s S.C. Rhyne, Tisdale further explains the work of HIM. “The focus of our work is to support all men and service providers working with vulnerable men to better provide culturally relevant mental health service, appropriate infectious disease care and other evidence-based health interventions, said Tisdale. “As an institute, we are up to this challenge because in 2014, we must.”
And, according to health statistics, the attention that HIM is providing to adult males really is needed. In March 2014, Aidsmed.com concluded that based on the amount of black Atlanta men who are contracting HIV, a se×ually active black man who starts to sleep with other people at 18-years-old has a 60% chance of contracting HIV before he turns 30.
The study doesn’t indicate the difference between heterosexual and homosexual men, so this may be a determining factor.
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