Groups work to fight HIV in Bloomington

Rising cases of HIV in Bloomington mean organizers of the Third Annual Bloomington AIDS Walk had more than enough reason to raise donations and awareness for HIV and AIDS in Monroe County.\nKathryn Mullen-Scarpino, a graduate supervisor for the IU Student Global AIDS Campaign, said 150 local clients are being treated at PositiveLink, an AIDS education and treatment center at Bloomington Hospital. She estimated that 150 other Monroe County residents are unaware they are HIV-positive. And another 150 residents know they are HIV-positive but are not seeking treatment, she said.\nPositiveLink offers free HIV screenings to everyone, in addition to medical and financial assistance to local HIV-positive and AIDS patients, said IU graduate student Rose Hartzell, an IU Health Center health and wellness educator.\n“While IU Health Center does not have the resources to assist those with HIV and AIDS, we are very supportive of PositiveLink,” Hartzell said. “We often refer patients to PositiveLink when they come to us for help and assistance.”\nThe IU Health Center collaborates with PositiveLink to provide free HIV testing on campus and educates residents of dormitories, fraternities and sororities on safe sexual behaviors. “We have a lot of in-depth discussions and demonstrations with students in order to inform them of preventative practices,” Hartzell said.\nStudent Global AIDS Campaign co-directors Ankit Bhargava and Anjulee Patel sold T-shirts sponsoring the walk, which circled campus.\n“All the donations here go directly to PositiveLink,” Bhargava said. “In previous years, this money has gone to save a life here in Bloomington, and we’d like to have that happen again.”\n“It’s hard to find money for emergencies for clients of PositiveLink,” Mullen-Scarpino said. “In Indiana, insurance for AIDS patients doesn’t cover dental or eye complications, so we’ve helped to pay the bills to have eye glasses adjusted so patients can see, or sent them to have their teeth cleaned and taken care of. All donations from the AIDS Walk stay entirely at the local level.”\nPatel said she got involved with the organization during her freshman year after seeing the AIDS quilt on display at the Indiana Memorial Union.\nFreshman Jessica Fossmeyer said she began her involvement with the group this year. “There is such a stigma attached to AIDS,” Fossmeyer said. “It’s a local problem that everyone should know about.”\nMember Jonathan Williams, vice president of Campus Pride, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender support group, began his involvement with the organization after his brother, uncle and partner had all died from AIDS.\n“AIDS is something that people need to be aware of,” said Williams, a student at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. “We need to not only help those who have been hurt by it, but also protect the innocent lives who haven’t gotten it.”\nFor more information about the IU Student Global AIDS Campaign, visit its Web site at www.indiana.edu/~sgac.