Regulars: Column

COLUMN: CLINT WALTERS

Two Steps Forward and one step back…

The problem with HIV is that it’s not only a medical condition but a social issue which can directly impact the way people see you and more importantly the way you view yourself.”

…and I’m not just talking about my love life! Last issue’s column was one of the hardest I’ve had to write, as plans for the clinic almost fell through and no one likes to write about disappointments! Since the last issue went to print, an angel has come to the rescue and amazingly offered to cover the first year’s rent! We have secured backing to renovate the Oxford Street space into the clinic and now we need one final push to raise funds for doctors, nurses and testing kits before signing the lease.

It’s been a hectic couple of months with Crusaid’s walk for life, badgering trusts for money, poster campaigns with Gaydar, and a new texting donation service to help us reach our goal of generating 50,000 texts/pounds. The target is high but not when you consider there are over 73,000 cases of people living with HIV in the UK. If everyone reading this column took a minute to text “hi clinic” to 84424 we can finally make the dream of a weekend clinic and support centre for young people come true. The text will cost £1.50 with over a pound going directly to the clinic. It’s a simple way to make a donation.

Since the last issue went to print, an angel has come to the rescue and amazingly offered to cover the first year’s rent!”

Sexual health clinics up and down the country are over-run and most close down on the weekend. If you wanted to get tested or access PEP treatment on the weekend, accident and emergency is your only option. I’m grateful we have a National Health Service and my hospital has been fantastic in supporting my medical needs. The problem with HIV is that it’s not only a medical condition but a social issue which can directly impact the way people see you and more importantly the way you view yourself. Negotiating your way through the HIV minefield is never easy. If, like me, you find your visits to the local GUM clinic difficult, maybe now is the time to whip out your phone and send us a text! The clinic isn’t just about testing people and referring them on. In the week, the clinic will be a safe space for young people to also come back and gain peer support, alternative services, counselling and help with planning for a future with HIV.

I’m sure everyone is tiring of endless chatter from me about clinic plans... so we’re enlisting the help of celebrities to endorse the project. So far Beverley Knight and Sophie Ellis Bextor are fronting the HI campaign to help reach a wider audience. The interviews only took 3 minutes to shoot on film and we are hoping to enlist more public figures to help us reach the goal soon. You never know one day we might even be able to put HIV back on our television screens and move on from the tomb stones that last made an impact way back in 1986.

Worryingly, a survey from National AIDS Trust showed more than one in ten young people aged 18-24 believed HIV can be passed on through kissing…Personal, Social & Health Education is STILL not compulsory after all these years so the information isn’t reaching all the schools. The clinic will also continue to develop Health Initiatives workshops targeting schools and universities across the county. The number of people aged 16-24 in the UK being treated for HIV has also trebled between 1996 and 2005 so I’m sure you agree the need for this clinic is far greater now than ever.

The Pride event is fast approaching. With half a million people expected to descend on London for the day, it promises to be one of the biggest celebrations ever! I wonder what the first advocates and rallies for equality and human rights would think of the lack of sexual health messages reaching young people today? HIV has fallen off the radar of most young people and the ones that have done some reading or researched the web, are told it’s more manageable now than ever. Ok, people are not dropping like flies since the advent of HAART in 1997 (the year I was diagnosed) but the issues within prevention, public complacency and living with HIV are now more complex than ever.

I’m humbled by the support of our main backer for the building and praying to God that this time it’s finally a reality and not just a dream. Pride is a good day out for most and this year it’s not just about partying but a chance to finally set up a project that will save lives. If you can help in any way PLEASE contact me now before the Oxford Street building goes off the market! I can’t do it on my own so please text (Hi Clinic) to 84424 and make us all proud. PN

clint@healthinitiatives.org
www.healthinitiatiives.org
www.facebook.com/clintleewalters