Northern Kentucky’s Sunday Challenger Examines HIV/AIDS in Region

Northern Kentucky's Sunday Challenger on Sunday published a series of articles on HIV/AIDS in the region. Summaries of the articles appear below.

• "Living With HIV/AIDS in NKY": There were 340 reported AIDS cases in the eight-county Northern Kentucky area as of December 2004, and 158 new AIDS cases were reported in the state in 2004. Although Kentucky has no data on the number of HIV-positive residents, legislation passed during the 2004 General Assembly that changed HIV reporting in the state aims to help provide an accurate count (Feldmann [1], Sunday Challenger, 6/26).
  


• "HIV Message Fatigue": The article examines the Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department's efforts to effectively deliver HIV prevention messages to 15- to 25-year-olds who "were raised constantly hearing AIDS prevention messages and are inured to the issue's seriousness." The health department focuses on Northern Kentucky University because sexually active college students are most at risk of contracting the virus (Van Benschoten [1], Sunday Challenger, 6/26).
  


• "Less Time To Wait, Worry About Results": The article examines the health department's efforts to encourage Northern Kentucky residents to get tested for HIV. The department has launched a promotional campaign that uses mock scratch-off lottery tickets, which are distributed in bars and gas stations, to raise HIV awareness. The department also offers two methods of HIV testing, one of which can produce results in as little as 20 minutes (Van Benschoten [2], Sunday Challenger, 6/26).
  


• "HIV/AIDS Care Available in NKY": The state spends an average of $10,000 per HIV-positive patient for medications under the Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program and other state programs, according to the Challenger. The $5 million program is funded mainly by the federal government, and the state in July is expected to increase its annual contribution from $90,000 to $180,000. Residents who are ineligible for state assistance pay about $15,000 to $16,000 annually for medication (Feldmann [2], Sunday Challenger, 6/26).
  


• "Positive Attitude": The article profiles a Northern Kentucky resident who has been HIV-positive for 19 years (Feldmann [3], Sunday Challenger, 6/26).