Conference to focus on effects of STDs on rural communities

Many people in rural communities affected by AIDS and other STDs don’t receive adequate treatment, according to the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention. Fearing they will be stigmatized for their diseases, they often don’t seek medical attention.\nThe Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention, whose headquarters are at IU, and the National Rural Health Association will co-sponsor their fifth biennial conference today through Sunday to discuss the “hidden communities” affected by AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.\nDarrell Wheeler, a professor at the Hunter College School of Social Work in New York, will address the issues facing the communities in his keynote speech at noon Saturday in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Tudor Room.\nMany people in rural communities feel “isolated and alone” and hide their diagnoses because they are afraid of what others will think, said professor William Yarber, the center’s senior director.\n“There’s a lot of denial about the problem,” Yarber said. “Many rural communities don’t think they have a problem.”\nYarber’s graduate assistant, Rose Hartzell, said she thinks the problem is growing in rural communities because people there don’t think they are at risk.\nThe Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention is the only national organization that focuses exclusively on rural American populations. Its main focus is prevention of AIDS and other STDs. IU has partnered with the University of Kentucky and the University of Colorado.\nThe center is also responsible for producing fact sheets and newsletters about new research and educational material to reduce the stigma associated with AIDS.\nHartzell described the conference as a “collaboration of minds.”\n“People come together to discuss what’s helpful and what’s not and talk about ideas to help people and prevent AIDS,” she said.\nThere will be about 200 representatives from the U.S. at the conference. It is free to students and $25 for the public.\nThe conference will be held today through Saturday at the IMU. Registration begins at 11 a.m. today on the mezzanine level of the IMU. The conference’s full schedule is available in PDF format online.