This is the first article I’ve written that has, literally, turned heads – even before it was published.

As I type, it’s a two-and-a-half-sentence blurb in an untitled Word document. How have I accomplished this amazing feat of soliciting public interest so quickly? I can’t be sure, but the laptop screen full of “AIDS Group Therapy” “AIDS Counseling” and “Treatment for Your HIV/AIDS” tabs might have something to do with it.

While sitting in a café, one out of every three guests to pass my table turns around to get a good look at my face. Some might be taking note should I ever turn up to Thanksgiving on the arm of their son. Some might be reaching out. Some might be comforted by the idea that they aren’t alone, even at the coffee shop. The truth remains, however: These four harmless letters, when capitalized and arranged just so, are unsettling. Nothing could have validated my writing more than that simple realization.

AIDS can stir things up in a way no other subject material can. We can (and do) make light of infidelity, racism, sexism, war and crime with editorial cartoons, one-liners and comedy skits. But AIDS? There isn’t anything funny in Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The mention of it at a party will only make people uncomfortable. The reference to it while on a date will stop the romance short faster than any talk of exes.  Prevention assemblies in high school made us all squirm uneasily in our seats. Reading about it in the news makes us sad, angry, frightened and exhausted. AIDS is an elephant in the room that we all like to forget about, and those of us who point our fingers at it and shout are nothing short of gauche.

This has to change. AIDS is still a huge issue, even in Wichita. If nobody is comfortable talking about it, how are we going to learn from it? How will we know how to address it? How to treat it?

According to The Kaiser Family Foundation, Kansas spends almost $7 million a year to assist in HIV/AIDS education, outreach and treatment. There are posters in every clinic, pamphlets at every school, and testing centers in every corner of town. With all of the resources available to us, it’s about time we learn to use them properly. To do this we must first learn to be comfortable discussing it. Once we shed the taboo, we should all swallow our pride and get tested… frequently. Finally, we need to learn how to help those who suffer from the disease, as well as those who suffer from (equally dangerous) ignorance.

Wichitans are lucky folks. We have some truly amazing programs in town that provide us with free HIV/AIDS testing as well as therapy, counseling, volunteer resources, assisted living, food drives, benefit galas, school programs, concerts and art shows all aimed to raise awareness and garner support for the disease and its victims. In short, those interested in finding a way to help don’t even have to leave town.

Take, for instance, the Sweet Emergency Fund. If you aren’t familiar with the work of Dr. Donna Sweet, you are missing out on a real-life superhero story.  Based at the KU Medical School in Wichita, she is a motivational champion of AIDS awareness and treatment. The Emergency Fund is a brain child of Dr. Sweet’s which provides patients with a financial “safety net” that can be used to battle the continuous costs of living with HIV/AIDS. The fund depends on donations made personally or through the purchase of auction items or event tickets. On May 3, Dr. Sweet will award Dr. James J. Rhatigan with the Sweet Humanitarian Award.  The Crown Uptown Dinner Theater will house the event, which boasts a mouth-watering menu, live Jazz by The Nouveau Quintette, and KMUW personality Barry Gaston as host. To buy tickets or learn more about the fund, visit Sweet’s website.

Positive Directions, located in the heart of downtown Wichita, has similar objectives. Faced with the stress and insecurity of being HIV positive, patients come to Positive Directions for help with transportation, housing, nutrition and education. Since the founding of the organization, they have grown to accommodate hundreds of patients, opening a grocery store and a community art gallery. To learn more, visit their website or be sure to stop by Positive Directions’ Jones Gallery on Commerce Street while on your Final Friday Crawl.

In addition to efforts made by private residents of Wichita, Sedgwick County has three KDHE-supported counseling and testing sites we should all be familiar with. Hunter Health Clinic was founded by Wichita’s Native American community, and provides federally funded services to all, “regardless of race, ethnicity, or ability to pay.”  Planned Parenthood of Wichita is open six days a week, and provides clients with testing, education resources and referrals. The main branch of the Sedgwick County Health Department offers anonymous testing and counseling, as well as support for patients without insurance and countless educational resources.

If Wichitans have access to so many organizations and facilities that offer prevention education, treatment, testing, and counseling, why are we not making better use of them? Hopefully you can use this article as a springboard, resolving to become more involved in local efforts to support awareness and treatment. All I ask is that you stop gawking at the lady reading the online “HIV Positive?” brochure and become a smart, well-informed and accepting Kansan, eager to talk openly with your loved ones about a disease that should no longer be dismissed as the invisible elephant in the room.

To the People of Wichita: Talk! Test! Lend a hand!

(Image Credit)

Related posts:

1. [help] Low-Cost Health Care in Wichita
2. [think] Exploring Different Religions in Wichita
3. [do] Wichita Center for the Arts
4. [think] The Undetermined Wichita Brand
5. [do] Use the Sedgwick County Extension Office