Arizona HIV/AIDS Leaders Hold Roundtable Discussion on Education, Prevention

Four Arizona leaders in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and research attended a roundtable discussion last week on education and prevention options, the Arizona Daily Star reports. Sally Stevens, executive director of the Southwest Institute for Research on Women, said that women whose male partners refuse to wear condoms are the "new victims" in the epidemic, and Antonio Estrada, director of the University of Arizona's Mexican American Studies and Research Center, said that the U.S.-Mexico border is the "new front" in the fight against the disease, according to the Daily Star. The group also expressed concern that Arizona's Proposition 200 -- which is on the Nov. 2 ballot and would require proof of citizenship or legal residency to obtain public services, including health care -- would prevent people from being tested or treated for HIV/AIDS and would increase "the likelihood of an epidemic" in the region, according to the Daily Star. Anne Maley, executive director of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, said that a state law that prohibits public schools from giving students medically accurate information about how HIV is transmitted puts young people at risk of contracting the virus, the Daily Star reports. Scott Blades, executive director of the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network, said, "Our leaders need to put this on the agenda as a health issue," adding, "It's a complicated issue that's not easy to address. But we're paying the price of not addressing it, and we will continue to" (Luber, Arizona Daily Star, 10/24). A complete transcript of the roundtable discussion is available online.