Introduction
Hello, I am a representative of a nursing organization that reveals an increased concern regarding HIV/AIDS prevalence. I want to pay attention to this healthcare issue, as it affects the well-being of a diverse population, including adults and children of various nations. I want to urge you to develop an intervention aimed at the reduction of the HIV/AIDS rate among the Hispanic/Latino population of the United States.
Main body
According to the information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this group reveals a current tendency to increase HIV/AIDS prevalence. They constitute only 17% of the whole US population but makeup 23% of the infected individuals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Nursing organizations believe that this situation is associated with health disparities faced by national minorities that is why it is vital to develop those initiatives that are not generalized to the whole US population but focus on particular groups of people, Hispanics/Latinos, in this case.
It would be extremely advantageous to pay attention to those risk factors for HIV that are spread among the discussed population. According to recent research, the place of birth is associated with injection drug use. For instance, 24.9% of Hispanic/Latino males and 20.5% of females who came from Puerto Rico have such an experience (Gray, Valverde, Tang, Siddiqi, & Hall, 2015). In addition to that, 21.2% of Hispanic/Latino women who were born in the USA have HIV/AIDS because of injection drug use. As a result, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among this population is higher than among other US minorities.
When thinking about the intervention that will be likely to help Hispanic/Latino people, you should focus on a range of that affect their decision-making. For example, it will be beneficial to consider sexually transmitted diseases, socio-economic problems, stigma, and cultural factors. You may develop your initiatives on the basis of the fact that 75% of HIV cases among Hispanics/Latinos are associated with homosexual males.
The next transmission category includes a heterosexual population of both genders. As a result, you can see that there is a necessity to ensure that these people receive needed support and education. Nevertheless, nursing organizations want to pay attention to the fact that it is unfair to punish HIV-positive individuals. HIV criminalization laws will only suppress Hispanics/Latinos and make them reluctant to consult medical staff.
In this way, there will be a high possibility to experience increased rates of HIV/AIDS. I want to urge them to take efforts to inform these individuals regarding those issues they may face because of HIV/AIDS and to educate them on how to avoid this problem and how to deal with it. The emphasis should be made on the increased opportunities for prevention, care, and treatment but not on HIV criminalization for the representatives of the general public not to be afraid of testing and disclosing their HIV-positive status.
Conclusion
I hope that you understand how important it is to support the Hispanic/Latino population and ensure the availability of healthcare facilities. These people require accessible HIV testing, psychological support, and treatment while now they cannot reach them because of financial problems. Focus your interventions on the districts of high risk and develop appropriate prevention strategies. Educate the adolescent population on the ways of infection transmission because they are the future of the USA. They live and work throughout the country, which means that they may increase the risk of getting the infection for all Americans. Finally, I want to underline that HIV is a treatable medical condition, so your assistance can save numerous lives.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Health disparities in HIV/AIDS, Viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB. Web.
Gray, K.M., Valverde, E.E., Tang, T., Siddiqi, A.A., & Hall, I. (2015). Diagnoses and prevalence of HIV infection among Hispanics or Latinos – United States, 2008-2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 64(39). Web.