Newsletter Winter 2010
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Starting Over-Volviendo a Vivir
Latinos make up 15% of the total U.S. population, but this group represents 19% of new AIDS diagnoses in 2007. Latinos are more likely to experience late diagnosis of HIV and late entry to care, which accelerates the onset of AIDS. Washington DC has the highest HIV infection rate of any city.
To reflect on the AIDS epidemic and raise awareness about its impact on the Latino community, La Clínica participated in World AIDS Day on December 1st. La Clínica offered free testing and educational outreach throughout the day, concluding with a vigil to remember those affected.
"World AIDS Day provides us with an opportunity to stop, reflect, and celebrate the lives of so many members of our community who have lived with HIV and AIDS," said Catalina Sol, Chief Programs Officer. "Many are no longer with us, and many continue to struggle day by day with stigma and discrimination. We hope our activities will bring light to the lives of so many Latinos living with HIV, who are often invisible."
Over twenty-five HIV/AIDS tests were administered at La Clínica throughout the day. Health promoters went out into the Columbia Heights neighborhood all day and distributed educational information to around 600 individuals.
The day ended with a program of reflection and celebration, where audience members told stories about their experiences with the disease. After the ceremony ended, participants walked around the neighborhood in a candlelight vigil to remember those affected by the AIDS epidemic.
"For me was an honor and privilege to participate in this important event to commemorate and celebrate the World AIDS Day with clients, friends, volunteers, coworkers and important guests at La Clinica del Pueblo..." said Jose Gutierrez, Medical Case Manager and emcee of the program. "This was a great event in which the Latino community participated enthusiastically and with great energy."
This past flu season, cases of H1N1, also known as swine flu, spread across the country and around the world. When the pandemic hit DC, La Clínica was ready.
Between the months of October and December, La Clínica vaccinated over 500 people for the H1N1 flu, including some of its staff members. Dr. Meredith Josephs, Chief Medical Officer, said it was difficult to respond to the pandemic because the preparedness guidelines, sent out to health providers from the Centers for Disease Control, kept changing.
"The challenge is that the message changed, initially on a daily basis, then it started changing weekly, then it started changing monthly," said Josephs. "Somebody here had to keep on top of what the CDC was recommending, and from that we needed to somehow get that changing message out to the community."
In the initial stages of the flu, the CDC recommended that providers test and treat everybody. As the flu worsened and people realized its effect on most humans was mild, it was recommended that people without severe cases stay home while recovering to limit the spread of the virus.
The flu has been mild, but it is more prevalent than other strands. La Clínica has seen over triple the number of patients experiencing cold and flu symptoms this year compared to last year. These numbers are up across the nation.
"Even though people are saying this is a mild illness, we have more deaths and hospitalizations [nationally] than we would have in a normal flu year," said Josephs.
Josephs said La Clínica's first line of defense against the flu was to encourage people with flu symptoms to remain at home to recover. If they did need medical care, or their condition worsened, providers would put masks on patients with flu symptoms after they entered the clinic to inhibit transmission. After this, providers would evaluate the patient and recommend treatment.
La Clínica was fortunate that "we got H1N1 vaccines pretty early on, as soon as it became available in early October," said Josephs. "We were very proactive about it."
Josephs said that although it has been a struggle to adhere to changing guidelines, the patients have responded well to the pandemic.
"A few have come in terrified, but our staff has done a great job of calming people down and taking care of them" said Josephs.
Starting Over-Volviendo a Vivir
Volviendo a Vivir, La Clínica's substance abuse program targeted at ex-offenders, started a year ago with funding from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Below are excerpts from one graduate's testimonial about his experience in the group.
Many mornings I would wake up and ask myself, ‘What am I doing? Why do I keep drinking and snorting cocaine, if I already know I'm gonna wake up the next day feeling like s***?' I never thought I had a problem. ‘Who me? No, couldn't be. It's only a weekend thing. Only when I'm at parties...'
This mentality started to take me in the path of my own destruction. I never considered myself a criminal, but I kept going in and out of jail, always because of my drinking. I thought I was indestructible. I was lying to myself... Once again, I was arrested for cocaine possession and driving under the influence. I was facing jail time or finding a place where I could get alcohol and substance abuse classes. I looked up on the Internet and found La Clinica del Pueblo. My prayers were finally gonna be answered. That whole time I just kept thinking, ‘I'm gonna go through with the program and make the judge happy' but still with the mentality that I was gonna keep drinking. ‘Why not, I'm young...'
As days went by, I started learning about all the effects of drugs and all the damage I was causing myself and my family. The staff at La Clinica del Pueblo is some of the most dedicated people that I have ever been around. They actually take time and treat their clients like humans, not just as another number that was laid on their table. I have a great counselor who, with his humor and understanding, has gotten me to open up and realize and admit that I'm an alcoholic. The groups have made me aware of the destruction that alcohol and drugs do to the human body. I also have a wonderful case manager that has helped me out a great deal. I never had medical insurance, and she made sure I got it by pushing me to apply for health insurance. She's helped me out in trying to improve my life, and to move forward and forget my past. Now it's time to take those bandages that were blinding me because of my alcohol and drug abuse and open my eyes to my new future without drugs and alcohol.
Now I see my future clearly now. I was lost, and now I know what I want. I'm gonna 
start school again and make a better life for myself. Now I won't have to worry about causing myself or my family pain. I can walk around with my head held up high and take it day by day. I wish there were more programs out there like the program Volviendo A Vivir. We need programs that show results, and I'm one of them. I'm a happier and healthier person as a result of the program.