HIV forum
stresses local needs

Federal agencies hear out
state's AIDS workerson providing
'ethnically appropriate' services

By Helen Altonn
Star-Bulletin

Hawaii groups have stressed to federal officials that national funding decisions about HIV/AIDS should be related to local needs.

Eight officials from different federal agencies, mostly from Washington, D.C., explained what their agencies do to support services and programs for HIV/AIDS prevention, education and treatment.

They left the state Capitol auditorium yesterday with information and recommendations from those working with HIV/AIDS clients and programs.

The federal agencies asked for the forum to get state views on how to address growing problems of the virus among women and minority groups.

Peter M. Whiticar, chief of the state Health Department's STD/AIDS Prevention Branch, noted that the program has been directed in Washington, D.C., primarily at African Americans. "We're not arguing against this, but you need to take into account conditions in each state," he told the federal panel.

"It's important to understand the uniqueness of every state, and we believe Hawaii is one of the most unique states. There is no majority population in Hawaii," Whiticar said.

The complex demographics are a "real challenge," he said, emphasizing that services must be provided "in an ethnically appropriate way." He asked the federal team to take back that message.

Whiticar said clients and those running programs are involved in community planning to help guide the state in setting funding priorities.

He asked that the federal agencies respect the states' priorities. If they have doubts about how money is spent, they can set up monitoring and evaluation programs, he said.

Bradford Lum, a Life Foundation HIV counselor who works with teens and native Hawaiians, said there is a "big, huge denial process," which causes problems in complying with doctors and taking medical treatments.

He conducts traditional healing circles, he said. "I find as soon as I start blowing the Hawaiian nose flute, there is crying."

That tells him people with HIV are ashamed and can't cope with their lives, he said. "Many clients are giving up entirely."

He said he is one of few Hawaiians "willing to stand up here and say, 'I have the disease and I'm proud to be Hawaiian and I'm OK.' "

Programs are needed to make people with HIV feel comfortable so they will accept drug treatment or traditional healing, he said.

George Sonsel, forum moderator, with the Health Resources Services Administration, said he felt Lum had expressed a need of native peoples across all of the United States.

Carolyn Kali'i, with the Maui AIDS Foundation, pointed out that the neighbor islands have "a completely different voice and lifestyle and services" than Oahu.

Yet, she noted there were no other neighbor island speakers at the forum. "I was very lucky to find funding," she said, adding:

"In the future, please do not exclude the neighbor islands. We represent the very thing you're seeking here today."

Kali'i, an American Indian, and Lum recently returned from an indigenous HIV/AIDS conference in Minnesota.

Kali'i, member of a care planning group, said a lot of money is available for prevention and education, but not much for care and treatment.