Background:
As a kid, Chris lived in
a suburb in Virginia, just outside of the Washington, D.C.
area, but he moved to Arizona in 1971. He has been in public
health since 1983. He started with a county health department
in Tucson, AZ. He was there for 11 years in the HIV/STD division.
Eventually, he took a job with the state health department
in Phoenix, and was there for 7 years. In this position Chris
headed the HIV/STD, and in the latter part of his tenure there
the Hepatitis C program. “It’s almost hard to remember for
me a time before all of this. Almost my entire adult life
I’ve been around it [HIV],” he states. That’s nearly twenty
years of working in HIV. “Thanks for reminding me,” Chris
laughs.
Why Chicago?:
“A bigger urban area…
urban feel. A stronger gay community… more visible, and more
unified.” As Chris stated, “I was looking for a new challenge
and opportunity when the position in Chicago became available.”
He and his partner talked about it and they agreed that they
would go for it.
Chicago’s Division of STD/HIV/AIDS
has “a larger, more diverse program… housing HOPWA, larger
Ryan White budget, Title I as opposed to Title II.” Chris
also found the difference in the HIV epidemic in Chicago intriguing.
“I certainly have been reading for decades now on the differences
in the epidemic across the country. The epidemic here, of
HIV, is slightly different from what’s going on in Arizona.”
While the MSM population continues to drive the epidemic across
the country, Chris added that, “injection drug use is much
more of a risk factor in Chicago and the East coast, than
in Arizona.”
Biggest challenge to
date?:
“Learning what’s happening
in Chicago has been one of the biggest challenges, meeting
folks, meeting the people in the community that are doing
the work. Learning what they are doing and trying to get a
handle on what their programs are about. I’m thankful for
my background in HIV, so that I don’t have to learn the subject
matter, because it’s certainly challenging enough to have
to learn what’s happening in the city.”
Immediate goals for the
department:
“I’m really in an assessment
mode. I have to say that what I’m seeing, given my background
and experience in this field is some pretty good stuff going
on. I’m not going to try to jump in and make radical changes,
right now. I’m not so certain that there needs to be. Clearly
there’s room for improvement, but in general, the systems
are pretty well intact. And I’m thankful that it seems that
the relationship between the community and the department
appears to be really strong. My biggest challenge right now
is assessing what’s going on, talking with folks, and trying
to get an idea for where they believe the problems are and
working with the communities to try and solve those problems.
Living with HIV:
I first met Chris when
he was introduced to the Chicago Area HIV Planning and Prevention
Group in October 2001. At this meeting, and barely one month
on the job, he voluntarily disclosed that he was HIV positive.
Chris found out he was HIV positive in 1985 and is public
about his positive status.
“[HIV] has basically
been a part of all of my adult life. But, I’ve been blessed
with very good health, and have never been on antiretrovirals.”
Chris recognizes that his experience with HIV has been, for
the most part, different than most long-term survivors. He
explains, “there are times when I’ve felt guilty about that.
I went to a support group years ago when I was living in Tucson,
and listened to what people were going through [with their
meds]. And when it got to me I realized that I was sort of
embarrassed to say I hadn’t been on any meds. It was different.”
Chris adds that his immune system is in pretty good shape,
and that his viral load continues to hover around undetectable.
Resolutions:
One of Chris’s resolutions
for the new year is to get out and see more of Chicago. “It’s
a great city. There’s so much to do. I want to take 2002 and
get out and see the city… do some touristy stuff.” Chris shares
his life with his partner of 10 years and their 3 kids (a
Labrador and two Rescue dogs). All are adapting well to their
new home and the weather, but with the demands of the new
job and settling in to their new home, Chris hasn’t had as
much of a chance to see that much of the city.
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