City raises awareness for World AIDS Day

Bloomington officials and residents commemorated World AIDS Day with a proclamation and ceremony Wednesday at Bloomington City Hall.

The primary goals of the event were to promote advocacy and remember the people who have suffered from the disease. This year’s theme focused on universal access and human rights.

“Everyone here needs to take action,” said Jill Stowers, Bloomington Hospital’s Positive Link program manager.

Positive Link is a local HIV/AIDS medical care center.

Most importantly, people need to focus on increasing awareness of the epidemic, Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said. He said the other goals of raising funds for research and preventing disease will follow if awareness increases.

There are 9,798 people living in Indiana with HIV/AIDS, according to an Indiana State Department of Health report that was released in June.

“A lot of times the general community doesn’t think about HIV anymore, doesn’t think it happens here,” Stowers said. “When you can get away from the stigma and have it just be about compassion, you get that personal element.”

Both Stowers and Kruzan said a personal connection is important for people to understand the tragedy of the AIDS epidemic.

“Maybe we all ought to not be embarrassed to show our sadness or our anger about this,” Kruzan said.

People from Bloomington Hospital, the city government as well as the community attended the event.

“I made the decision early on to be involved and educate people,” said David Clark, who was recently diagnosed with HIV. “So many young people don’t think it can happen to them.

In the first half of 2010, there were 191 diagnoses of HIV and 76 diagnoses of AIDS in the state of Indiana, according to the Indiana State Department of Health’s report.

“The more people that know the statistics, the more people can protect themselves and others,” Clark said.