Presentation to Focus on AIDS and Native Americans

Cissy Elm and Barbara M. Johnson, coordinators with the American Indian Community House HIV/AIDS Project, will visit the College on Wednesday, March 7, to discuss "Health Issues in Native American Communities: Bridging Cultures to Prevent HIV." The presentation will begin at 6:00 p.m. in Klingenstein Lounge, Egbert Hall, and is free and open to the public.

"It’s important to become educated about HIV and AIDS because native people have died from this disease," says Johnson. "It is up to us as a community to promote our health and welfare through education and prevention."

Johnson and Elm will discuss the ways Native American communities in New York State are addressing issues relevant to AIDS and the HIV virus, which includes carrying out risk-reduction programs, promoting healthy behavior among Native Americans who are at risk, and providing HIV prevention case management and referral services.

"This talk will be especially useful for social science and health care students, as well as for groups and individuals interested in multicultural outreach to AIDS victims," says Brooke Olson, adjunct instructor in anthropology. "It also ties into the ongoing initiative to develop a Native American studies program at the College, which would deal with the issues of Native American health and healing."

Created in 1991, the American Indian Community House HIV/AIDS Project aims to increase the level of AIDS awareness among the New York Native American community and to provide culturally appropriate referral and case management services for Native Americans living with AIDS. It is a member of the New York AIDS Coalition, the AIDS and Adolescent Network of New York, the National Minority AIDS Council, and the AIDS Coalition for Community Empowerment.

The event is being sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Native American Cultural Club, and the Department of Anthropology, with the support of nine additional departments and organizations across campus.

For more information call Brooke Olson at 274-1735.