Contact:
Jeff Berry
j.berry@tpan.com
5537 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60640
Ph: (773) 989-9400 Ext. 260

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Positively Aware magazine talks to women of color about HIV risk in July/August issue

Chicago, Illinois – June 30, 2010 – Positively Aware magazine takes a look at HIV risk among women in the Chicago West Side black community in the latest issue, now available.

The July/August issue of Positively Aware, entitled "Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves," features conversations between African American women who are participating in a vaccine study and several providers of counseling and care in their community. The women chronicle some of the factors that they believe influence the high infection rate in African American communities.

Profiled is Stella Rivers–Goolsby, a former prostitute and drug addict who defied the odds, overcame her addiction, turned her life around, and is now an outreach worker, spreading messages of empowerment and prevention to the women in her neighborhood.

Also covered in this issue is the current debate over when to start antiretroviral therapy. Based on the recent recommendations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) HIV Treatment Guidelines panel on when to start, as well as the opinions of leading doctors and activists, this issue’s HIV Wellness Series article by Dr. David Wohl delves into the pros and cons of starting treatment earlier based on specific CD4 counts. Following his report, several other doctors and advocates weigh in on the question.

Editor Jeff Berry offers an insider’s view of what it means to be an advocate, reporting on his experience testifying before an FDA advisory panel and how it renewed and inspired him.

As always, the latest news in treatment, politics, and lifestyle is covered in "Briefly," and Sal Iacopelli’s "Salient Ramblings" describes his dream of a better world.

Positively Aware is an internationally known and respected magazine devoted to HIV treatment and wellness. It has a circulation of over 85,000, and is published bi–monthly by Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) in Chicago, the only publication of its kind to be produced by a non–profit AIDS agency. Founded in 1987, TPAN is Chicago’s oldest peer–led AIDS service organization and specializes in treatment information, support services, and prevention.

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