July 16, 2010

AIDS – A Battle Worth Fighting; Health Department’s Betty Hollis is on frontlines in fight against HIV/AIDS

                                                         
 BY KAYLA REDMOND
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The faces are young and old, Black, White, Hispanic, male and female, and in some cases infants. There are about 1,400 people living with HIV/AIDS in Volusia and Flagler counties.

Betty Hollis is familiar with these faces. She meets some of them daily from her post as HIV/AIDS early intervention specialist for the Volusia County Health Department. It’s a position that has her on the frontline in the battle to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Volusia and Flagler.

Hollis is working hard to make sure no one else is infected. She has been in the public health field for almost a decade. Hollis says she’s always wanted to work in the medical field.

“I just want to make a difference in someone’s life,” Hollis said. “If it is only one person’s life I touch, I will at least know that I fulfilled my reason for being.”

Positive reaction to negative news
But the clients also touch Hollis’ life in a special way. There’s one situation that is all to common, and that is helping clients cope with the stress of getting tested for HIV after discovering a loved one has multiple sex partners.

“One client just cried and cried and cried with relief when the HIV test came back negative,” said Hollis. “I see all reactions and do my very best to counsel, comfort and educate when the results are in.

“It is important for those with negative results to protect themselves and those with positive HIV results must also take care of themselves and not spread the disease to others,” she added.

What happens if test is positive
In addition, if someone is positive it is required by law to inform a partner before intercourse.

“My main concerns are to reassure the client that testing is confidential and encourage them to use a condom,” Hollis added.

Sometimes people are afraid that testing is not confidential and will avoid getting it done. When a person tests positive through a rapid test, Hollis says the client is informed that they tested positive because there were HIV antibodies in their blood.

The client is then asked to take a confirmatory test, which is a swab or blood test. The test will then be sent to the laboratory and the results will take two weeks. If the test comes back positive, Hollis and her team will counsel the person about what that means and the next steps.

High numbers for Blacks
A big challenge for Hollis is encouraging more and more people to take the time to take control and their lives by taking the test for HIV. African-Americans and Hispanics have the highest number of infections, she said.

African-Americans make up about 40 percent of reported HIV cases in Volusia and Flagler counties but are only 9 percent of the population.

Statistics also indicate that African-American females acquire AIDS at a rate 14 times greater than White females.

Collaborative effort in Volusia, Flagler

Hollis’ duties include overseeing all HIV testing sites for Volusia and Flagler counties. The health department has contracts with the following community based organizations: Stewart Marchman-Act Inc., Outreach Community Care Network Inc., Diggs Miracle Care Inc., and Joel Lawrence Foundation Inc.

There also are a number of other partnering organizations throughout Volusia and Flagler counties that provide HIV/AIDS testing and prevention materials.

The health department also works closely with the Department of Health’s Bureau of AIDS. Hollis is certified to instruct HIV/AIDS courses for individuals who are to administer HIV/AIDS testing and counseling.

HIV/AIDS became a passion for Hollis when she noticed she was coming across a lot of people who were not educated on the subject.

“I wanted to get the word out about prevention and intervention and just simply knowing your status,” she noted.

For more information about HIV/AIDS, visit www.volusiahealth.com or http://www.wemakethechange.com/.