Conference to look at AIDS in rural areas

People in rural areas represent 8 percent of all reported AIDS cases – and the Rural Center for AIDS/HIV Prevention is trying to find a solution.

The center is having its sixth national biennial conference this year starting today and running through Friday. 

It will mark the 15th year since the center was established at IU, as well as the first year a new award will be presented in honor of Ryan White, a national AIDS advocate who died of the disease in 1990 at age 18.

His mother, Jeanne White Ginder, an AIDS advocate and human rights activist for people living with the disease, will receive the Jason Nickey Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award at 1 p.m. Friday in the Tudor Room of the Indiana Memorial Union, according to a press release for the conference. She will also be speaking in honor of her son.

“This is the biggest thing about this particular conference,” said Bill Yarber, IU applied health science professor and senior director of Rural Center for AIDS/HIV prevention. “Rural America lost a native son and this is a great way to carry on his legacy through public awareness efforts.”

He said the conference centers on HIV/AIDS education for people in rural communities from nationwide prevention specialists.

The Rural Center for AIDS/HIV Prevention serves as the first organization in the nation of its kind, solely serving the purpose of addressing issues pertaining to American rural areas.

Yarber said rural people really appreciate the efforts of the organization to spread awareness to their communities and have their voices heard.

“This all began when I and some people I work with now for the center realized the disparity of information about HIV and AIDS being reported to rural communities,” he said. “I wanted to address the fact that HIV and AIDS doesn’t just affect urban areas like people tend to think.”

Yarber said he was further motivated to begin the organization when he realized the reason why rural communities tended to report lower statistics of AIDS cases than what was actually occurring. The reason includes various stigmas about the disease, including homophobia.

Sharon Day, executive director for Indigenous Peoples Task Force, which is based in Minnesota, will participate in this year’s conference.

Yarber said rural communities face a lot of unique challenges that often go ignored because of attention to urban areas.

“The rural parts of the country need funding for prevention, education, testing, counseling and direct care services,” she said in an e-mail.

Day said she is excited to learn how her colleagues around the country are aiding the education of rural communities.

“I think people will be impressed this year,” Yarber said. “We have people coming from urban and rural places all over to hear about how they can contribute to AIDS prevention.”