Arizona: Helping Latinos with HIV

From his bed in St. Mary's Hospital, Tucson, Ariz., the small-framed, 34-year-old man said he never reported the kidnapping and attack by three men who left him for dead in an abandoned apartment complex. Rick Martinez was hooked up to an IV as he talked of the brutal assault and rape 13 years ago -- not far from the glittering lights of the Las Vegas nightlife. Martinez is gay, was a prostitute and now suffers, he said, from HIV as a result of the attack.

The Cochise County native relinquished his privacy because he wants to help other gay and heterosexual Latinos know they are not alone and to understand they must become educated about HIV/AIDS. Martinez is aided by Proyecto Conexion -- Project Connection -- a three-year, $1.5 million federally funded program. It aims to provide substance abuse prevention and HIV/AIDS education in Latino communities throughout Southern Arizona, said Oscar Hinojosa, the project's manager. Hinojosa is with the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation -- one of six agencies that teamed to form Proyecto Conexion.

From 1989 through 2001, 1,331 Latino women and men were diagnosed with HIV, and another 1,661 had AIDS, according to the Pima County Health Department. In 2000, Latino men across the United States were more than three times as likely to have AIDS than white men, Hinojosa said.

Martinez went to get tested in 1989 by happenstance. He attended rape counseling sessions, followed a strict health regimen and said he found peace through God. He educated himself about the disease and served on the board of directors of a local AIDS group. He also began working at the county-operated clinic where he was tested, and later went to work in Nogales, Ariz., educating the community about HIV/AIDS. Hinojosa said one of Proyecto Conexion's goals is to get as many people tested as soon as possible -- especially those in high-risk groups.

Back to other CDC news for June 12, 2002

Previous Updates