Developing a Health Advocacy Campaign for HIV Stigma Reduction

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My preparation for this assignment began with a review of the Healthy People initiative that was developed by the Department of Health and Human Services. There are many ongoing health issues that our healthcare system is currently dealing with. The Healthy People initiative is a set of goals and objectives designed to guide national health promotion and disease prevention to improve the health of all people in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). The population health issue I’ve chosen for my policy developing campaign is HIV stigma reduction. In this assignment I will illustrate the significant impact of the stigma towards the population infected with HIV/AIDS and suggest a potential advocacy campaign to decrease the incidence of this epidemic. I will also address some of the legal, regulatory and ethical considerations regarding this initiative.

An Overview: HIV Epidemic

“In 1980, a life-threatening human immune dysfunction of unknown origins was noticed in Central Africa, Europe, and the United States” (Poindexter, 2007, p. 6). In 1981, in the United States, the disease was first reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Unlike numerous other viruses, the human body cannot rid itself of HIV. That means that once you have HIV, you have it for life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Currently, no cure exists for HIV. Thankfully, with giant leaps in today’s medical and technological advancements in pharmaceutical research this disease is now considered to be a chronic condition. Today, with proper medical management and compliance the infected p...

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... Dhanireddy, S. (2012). HIV/AIDS: Legal & Ethical Issues. Retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/nwaetc/presentations/uploads/79/legal_issues_and_hiv.pdf

Milstead, J. A. (2013). Health Policy and Politics (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: World Headquarters Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC

Poindexter, C. C. (2007). Management Successes and Struggles for AIDS Service Organizations. Administration in Social Work, 31(3), 5-23.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Healthy People 2020. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/TopicsObjectives2020/pdfs/HP2020_brochure_with_LHI_508.pdf

Zukoski, A. P., & Thorburn, S. (2009, November 4). Experience of Stigma and Discrimination among Adults Living with HIV in a Low HIV-Prevalence Context: A Qualitative Analysis. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 23(), 267-275.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/apc.2008.0168

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