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ACRIA Update
Summer 2000 - Vol. 9 No. 3
AIDS On The Margins
Contents
AIDS On The Margins
By J Daniel Stricker, Editor-in-Chief
When dealing with any disease, particularly a relatively new epidemic like HIV, the information gleaned from previous individuals' experience often proves beneficial to current ones. Treatment has to be tailored to fit the individual, and ACRIA Update has long been committed to providing people living with AIDS (PLWAs) and their caregivers with information on treatment advances and the real life experiences of those living with HIV.
For our Summer 2000 issue we have chosen to offer a discussion on some of the more marginalized members of the PLWA community. To that end, we have asked several of our colleagues to discuss some of the HIV treatment issues faced by specific populations. Jen Curry looks at the real and perceived obstacles confronting homeless people living with HIV, while Mary Jane Nealon, R.N. tells of her first hand experience working with this community. Michael Haggarty writes on the dilemmas faced by PLWAs in our prison system, and Gopal K. Upadhya, M.D. presents some of the treatment complications faced by PLWAs who are mentally ill and chemically addicted (MICA). Finally, Richard Jefferys offers an overview on demographic representation in HIV clinical trials.
It will be clear to readers that our writers' experiences have made them strong advocates for their constituencies and this issue of ACRIA Update is something of a departure from our normal recounting of HIV treatment advances. While the challenges presented in this issue are not universal among all PLWAs, they present important ramifications for all men and women living with AIDS and the world at large. Unfortunately, many PLWAs don't have the luxury of dealing only with HIV; frequently they are affected by multiple epidemics. Learning not to overlook the experiences of anyone fighting AIDS has certainly been one of the most important lessons of the past two decades.
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