NPR Program Profiles Baltimore HIV/AIDS Advocate

NPR's "Tell Me More" on Wednesday profiled Rodney Moore, an outreach worker with Baltimore's Park West Medical Center, which provides HIV/AIDS education and service information in the city. Moore said many people are not aware of the disease and that there is a "segmentation on HIV and AIDS and people don't want to address it." He added that HIV/AIDS is "becoming of epidemic proportions" and "we have to get away from the stigmatization because people don't want to address the issue." Although education and perceptions of the virus have "progressed over time," Moore said he thinks there is "still much more work to be done, especially with our young people." He added that "overall involvement from the community and society as a whole" is needed to reduce the number of new cases and educate people on HIV prevention.

The center on Monday held an event to coincide with World AIDS Day and promote HIV testing in the area. According to Moore, more than 40 people were tested at the event, which he called a "great outpour of people." He added that the group ran out of testing kits during the event because of the high turnout of "mostly young people." He said that if people test positive for the virus, the center will "get them plugged into services" because the organization "understand[s] that all aspects have to be looked at" and does not "want people to feel uncomfortable about their status." He also said that "once people are educated and understand where it comes from, how you contract it and how you can be helped about it" people who do not know their status "won't be reluctant to get tested" (Martin, "Tell Me More," NPR, 12/3).

Audio of the interview is available online.

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