Florida: County Asks Gates Foundation to Study HIV Here

Recently, Palm Beach County Commission Chairperson Addie Greene sent a letter asking the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to consider Palm Beach County for research opportunities on HIV/AIDS. Commissioner Mary McCarty asked the commission to send the letter, following a recommendation from a resident.

McCarty said it might be "money well spent" if the foundation did research in Palm Beach County. The Scripps Research Institute's Florida headquarters is in the northern part of the county, and the number of county residents with HIV/AIDS is on the rise.

A spokesperson for the foundation -- created in 2002 with an endowment of roughly $31.7 billion, according to its Web site -- said the nonprofit does not discuss potential partnerships or grants.

The letter, prepared by county staff, did not specifically request money but asked to become a collaborative partner with the foundation in working toward solutions and cures for HIV/AIDS. The letter pointed to the county's western section, saying it "creates an opportunity for unique research."

"Palm Beach County is analogous with wealth and prestige," the letter stated. "But we have a large land area that includes both the exceedingly wealthy and the abject poor. There is an entire population that lives in our 'western' communities made up of migrant farmworkers."

One out of every 187 people in Palm Beach County has HIV/AIDS, but the prevalence rate in The Glades and other western areas is much higher -- one in 43, the letter noted.

Tony Plakas, former director of Compass Inc., a gay and lesbian community center known for its HIV/AIDS testing and case management, praised the county's efforts. "I think that Palm Beach County has a unique position in [the] HIV and AIDS epidemic. You've got a significant amount of diversity," Plakas said. "... We have the opportunity here to be on the cutting edge."

Back to other news for December 27, 2006