Latina Sorority Shows Support for HIV Assistance Bill
Upon learning of a proposed bill that would provide additional care for U.S. Latinos and other minorities living with HIV, the Indiana University chapter of Latina sorority Gamma Phi Omega has been increasing its efforts to spread HIV/AIDS awareness throughout both school and community, Indiana Daily Student reports (idsnews.com, 1/18).
According to the school paper, the sorority has worked closely with La Casa Latino Cultural Center at Indiana University to promote HIV/AIDS programming in response to H.R. 2736: HIV Emergency Local Partnership Act of 2007. Congress proposed the bill after data revealed Latin Americans were among the hardest hit by the epidemic.
“Since the beginning of the semester, some of us were doing some research [on the bill],” Gamma Phi Omega senior Adrienne Garcia told the student paper. “It was affecting the Latino community, but HIV/AIDS is also not talked about highly amongst other things in the Latino community.”
Garcia and her sisters are working to help change all that. Through their work with La Casa—including the creation of an STD testing site within the center—the sorority has also connected with Bloomington Hospital’s Positive Link, a local AIDS service organization, to generate support for the bill and initiate conversations about HIV among Indiana’s Latino student body.
NEW! Scroll down to comment on this story.
Please click OK to confirm your comment and confirm you accept our posting rules. Note your message will be reviewed by our staff before going live.
"I'm HIV positive and diabetic (as well as have high cholesterol) and some of my meds specify taking them with 'high fat foods' which I have to do twice a day. I've eaten as healthy as possible, but when it comes to high fat foods, I am in a quandary...about what to eat sometimes..."
